The Packers are the only NFL team to have never won a championship. Despite dominating for over 100 years, fan support has dwindled. The current lawsuit against the city of Green Bay and its residents is just one means by which fans can legally move on and show their dissatisfaction with an unfulfilled goal in an otherwise successful career.
The Green Bay Packers have 30 million reasons to move on. The NFL franchise is losing money, and they need a new stadium. Read more in detail here: greenbay packers game.
Davante Adams aspires to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. If such claims are accurate, the Green Bay Packers will be unable to indulge.
On the surface, the Packers’ desire to keep Adams on the roster in the future makes reasonable. He’s risen through the ranks in recent seasons and is now the best wide receiver in the NFL. He’d be a good fit for any squad.
The Packers’ problem is that the NFL is a salary cap league, and they’ve come up with 30 million reasons why this contract won’t work.
Davante Adams is said to be looking for a contract worth $30 million per year.
Green Bay Packers #17 Davante Adams scores after collecting a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter | Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Last summer, it was revealed that Adams aspired to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. His attitude on negotiations made sense at the time, and it still makes sense today. After all, he is the finest receiver in the NFL, so why shouldn’t he be compensated accordingly?
While the exact figure was never mentioned, it was evident that he wanted to be paid more than Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who earns an average of $27,250,000 each year under his deal. Green Bay was obviously more concerned with reuniting with Aaron Rodgers at the moment, so contract discussions with Adams came to a halt, and they never resumed. He’s now an unrestricted free agent who can shop around if he and the Packers can’t come to an agreement.
According to new NFL source Tony Pauline reporting, Adams will want $30 million per year regardless of who pays for his long-term contract.
Pauline stated, “Those close to the story tell me Adams wants to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL and will be aiming for a deal approaching $30 million per year.” “At this moment, it seems that the Packers will not spend more than $24 to $25 million every year.”
Adams is no longer a viable option for the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams #17 reacts after collecting a touchdown pass against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter | Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
To be fair to Adams, he has earned every penny he is demanding. Although Triple Crown winner Cooper Kupp was the statistically best wide receiver in the NFL this season, anybody with a keen eye for the game would agree that he is without a doubt the finest wide receiver in the game. Nobody is playing anywhere near Kupp’s level right now, from his height and speed to his uncanny ability to run routes and gain separation.
In 2021, he caught 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns, and those stats don’t even begin to tell the story. Rodgers’ favorite target was by far Adams. He was targeted 169 times, which is 100 times more than Allen Lazard, Green Bay’s second-leading receiver (60). Because defenses knew the ball would be going his way more frequently than not, he was almost solely double-teamed.
So, absolutely, Adams is deserving of his reward. The Packers’ issue is that they don’t have a lot of it to offer. They’ll be roughly $50 million above the limit in the 2022 league year, and Adam’s free agency class includes a number of crucial players. De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas, Robert Tonyan Jr., Lucas Patrick, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Lazard Edwards are among others on the list (restricted free agent). As if the Packers’ 2022 free agency class wasn’t already crowded enough, they’ll have to start talking to free agents like Elgton Jenkins, Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith, and Preston Smith in 2023.
The Packers need every dollar they can get to keep their Super Bowl window open, and we haven’t even touched on Aaron Rodgers’ future or the fact that general manager Brian Gutekunst should be able to keep improving the club. As things are, Green Bay’s roster is unable to climb over the hump. Cutting important players to stay under the salary limit won’t help the team return to the playoffs.
If the Packers want to be competitive, they can’t afford to pay Adams $30 million every year, whether he deserves it or not.
What would the Packers’ lives be like without Adams?
Ironically, Adams’ re-signing is motivated by a desire to remain competitive. It doesn’t take a football genius to figure out that losing Adams would hinder Green Bay’s offensive, but it doesn’t take into consideration the whole picture of what the Packers are attempting to do under Matt LaFleur.
LaFleur’s offense is a spin-off of what we’ve seen from Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers in recent seasons. All of these coaches, at their heart, desire to run the ball first and foremost, then utilize the run, as well as movements and misdirections, to set up the throw. The offense also creates a lot of area for tight ends to operate when it’s running well. Take a look at what Tyler Higbee has accomplished in Los Angeles this season, and, of course, Shanahan’s utilization of George Kittle in San Francisco.
LaFleur’s approach does not need the use of a top-tier wide receiver.
He’ll need a strong offensive line, talented running backs, and a bevy of tight ends, which Gutekunst has already assembled for him.
Of course, the Packers will need wide outs for whatever the quarterback is in the future, but having an exceptional wideout like Adams who wants 8-to-12 targets per game isn’t a given.
Is Adams someone you’d want to have? Yes, of course. However, at $30 million a year, what he brings to the table is just not worth it.
Forget about the franchise label. Even if Adams didn’t want to play under it, it would still cost Green Bay $22 million.
Forget about signing a long-term deal. It just does not make economic sense.
A sign-and-trade for Adams is the Packers’ best option. Thank him for his amazing run, and then send them on their way with important things in exchange.
Surprisingly, living in Green Bay without Adams makes more sense.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
Davante Adams says there are only two ways to stop him, but he won’t say which one.
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