Getty Julio Jones #2 of the Tennessee Titans against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers decision to trade All Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders was curious, to say the least.
That is especially true considering the team’s Super Bowl timeline with quarterback Aaron Rodgers now under contract through the next three seasons. The Packers had the ability to control Adams’ immediate future via the franchise tag, which they employed to lock the wideout into the 2022 season at a price of $20.14 million. Adams subsequently informed Green Bay he would not play on the tag, but NFL teams often call that particular bluff. At the very least, franchises don’t typically fold the hand immediately, which the Packers did, especially when months of offseason remained to change Adams’ mind.
But the deal is done. Adams is a Raider, and the Packers are in dire need of an upgrade at the position. As of Friday, March 18, Allen Lazard was probably the best wide receiver on the depth chart — a roster construction that doesn’t exactly scream “Super Bowl contender,” which Rodgers implied he wanted after the team’s disappointing end to the 2021 season.
A handful of quality wide receivers remain available in free agency, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested a couple of names the Packers may have in their crosshairs.
I don’t love that the Packers are trading away Rodgers’ top receiver by a significant margin at a point when they’re all-in for a title. I’m sure GM Brian Gutekunst will add a wideout or two in the months to come, with guys like Julio Jones and William Fuller V still available in free agency and a talented crop of wideouts available in the draft, but the Packers are crying out for an impact wideout right now.
If Adams was willing to retire or sit out multiple franchise tags, there’s not much they could have done. But after seeing how they were able to smooth things over with Rodgers, I might have been willing to push things and see what happened with Adams.
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Jones Coming Off Down, Injured Year With Tennessee Titans
GettyWide receiver Julio Jones was released by the Tennessee Titans following the 2021 season.
It was not long ago that Jones was a member of the Atlanta Falcons and considered one of the best and most dangerous pass catchers in the NFL. However, the Titans released the former phenom following the 2021 season after just one year in Tennessee.
Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All Pro in Atlanta, has been hampered by hamstring issues for large portions of the previous two seasons. He played just 10 games in Tennessee where he made 31 catches for 434 yards and one TD, all of which were career lows.
At 32 years old, Jones hits free agency on the heels of a three-year, $66 million deal. However, if Green Bay is interested, they should be able to get solid value on a short-term contract due to the wideout’s recent injury history and dip in production. The play, should the Packers decide to make it, would be to sign Jones with a portion of the $20 million the team saved in the Adams trade and hope Jones can stay healthy and return to 2019 form.
Green Bay can then take the leftover money and ink a player like Fuller, who is also coming off of an injury-hampered season (broken finger) with the Miami Dolphins in 2021, and/or try to re-sign free agent wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Packers Safety Recruiting Former Browns WR Tandem to Green Bay
GettyWide receivers Odell Beckham (left) and Jarvis Landry (right), formerly of the Cleveland Browns, walk together during warmups before playing against the Tennessee Titans.
Two other names left on the wide receiver free agency board are former Browns pass catchers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Beckham is fresh off of both a Super Bowl victory and a torn ACL with the Los Angeles Rams, while Landry was released by Cleveland earlier this week.
Packers starting safety Adrian Amos reacted to the news of the Adams trade Thursday by suggesting a reunion between the two former Browns wide receivers in Green Bay.
@obj 👀 @God_Son80 👀 yaw tryna play together again? 😂😂😂
“@OBJ 👀 @God_Son80 👀 yaw tryna play together again? 😂 😂 😂 ,” Amos tweeted.
While lighthearted in nature, Amos’ recruiting pitch makes some sense. Beckham and Landry were teammates at Louisiana State University and again for nearly three full seasons in Cleveland. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the Packers are in the mix for Landry, and that was before the team traded arguably the best wide receiver in football to the AFC West for a couple of early-round draft picks.
Of the free agent WR names mentioned — Beckham, Landry, Jones, Fuller and Valdes-Scantling — the Packers will likely need to lock up at least two of them to build a passing attack even vaguely resembling what they had last season, when Adams was catching balls from the two-time reigning MVP Rodgers. If the Packers don’t and must to rely on rookie pass catchers to lead the way, it could be a long season in Green Bay.