Davante Adams Sends Strong Message on Packers Future

Davante Adams is set to become one of the top free-agent wide receivers on the market in less than nine months, but the Green Bay Packers’ leading pass-catcher has no plans to leave behind the green and gold anytime soon.

During an interview with Bleacher Report’s Graham Matthews, Adams was asked about how the future of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers would play into his own decision-making with the Packers as he heads into the final year of his current contract in 2021. While the 28-year-old wideout acknowledged that Rodgers was “only one piece” of his free-agent considerations, he also made it clear the return of his quarterback would make the pull to stay in Green Bay all the stronger.

“That’s the plan, man. I’m not planning on going anywhere,” Adams told Matthews when asked about sticking around if Rodgers remains with the Packers. “That’s only one piece of it, though. Obviously, the quarterback situation helps it, but the stars got to align across the board as far as contractually. We’ll figure all that stuff out and let it happen. I’ll be at training camp like I said regardless, we’re going to play the season, and we’ll see how all of that pans out.”

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Adams Expected to Seek Elite Money in 2021

The Packers have to be relieved to get confirmation that Adams won’t threaten to hold out of training camp or the regular season to grease the wheels on negotiations. They are already facing the possibility of a 2021 season without the reigning NFL MVP at the helm, and issues with another top offensive weapon would only make the ground beneath them shakier.

Unfortunately, Green Bay getting more time to contemplate Adams’ pending free agency won’t change the high price tag it will take to keep him around.

The 28-year-old wide receiver is coming off his finest NFL season yet, catching a franchise-record 115 passes for 1,378 yards and a career-best 18 touchdown in just 14 games for the Packers during the 2020 season. Pro Football Focus also just recently named Adams the NFL’s fifth-best player coming into next season, behind only Aaron Donald, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Quenton Nelson.

According to Spotrac market projections, Adams is expected to earn nearly $25 million per year on his next NFL contract, an average annual value that would make him the league’s second-highest-paid wide receiver behind Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins ($27.25 million/season).

Meanwhile, the Packers are currently projected to be nearly $30 million over the 2022 salary cap, and while there are avenues for them to make the money work with Adams, it could be more challenging to get done than some of the other lucrative extensions they have handed out in the past year — to players such as nose tackle Kenny Clark ($17.5 million/season), All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari ($23 million/season) and running back Aaron Jones ($12 million/season).

Packers’ Plans Hinge on Resolution With Rodgers

How quickly the Packers will work to negotiate with Adams remains completely up in the air at this point. They could potentially work fast and extend him before the start of the 2021 regular season, a maneuver that could lower his current 2021 cap hit of $16.761 million. But in all likelihood, both sides will wait until there is some clarity about Rodgers’ future with the team.

The Packers have a lot of money tied up in Rodgers. He is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $37.202 million in the forthcoming season and will see that number jump to $39.852 million in the 2022 season, but that could change if he completely walks away or signs an extension with the team. Either way, until something is decided, the Packers won’t have an easy time adding larger numbers to their books.