The Green Bay Packers have invested $20 million in Davante Adams, betting on him as the next great star of their offense. If he plays well this season, the investment will be a big win for both sides; if not, it could become a much bigger loss.
The “davante adams height” is a question that can only have one answer. The Packers’ $20 million gamble on the wide receiver will only pay out in one way.
The Green Bay Packers applied the franchise tag on Davante Adams this offseason, as was required.
The Packers don’t like to utilize the tag for a variety of reasons. The Packers are taking a huge risk with their top wide receiver, and it has to pay off in one manner.
In the past, the Green Bay Packers have been hesitant to deploy the franchise tag.
Davante Adams is the first Packer to get the franchise tag since 2010. Green Bay used it to pay just over $7 million for DT Ryan Pickett.
Adams will earn $20.5 million if he plays 2022 on the tag (without a long-term contract).
— Matt Reynoldson (@Matt_Reynoldson) March 8, 2022
In Green Bay, it’s been a long time since a player has had to wear the franchise tag. In truth, it never occurred under Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, and it only happened once or twice during the late-Ted Thompson’s tenure. In 2010, Thompson gave defensive tackle Ryan Pickett the franchise tag. That was the last time a Green Bay player was given such a distinction.
Until Adams, that is.
There’s a reason the Packers despise the franchise tag, and there’s a reason they attempted to avoid it this summer.
To begin with, if you apply it to a top player like Adams, you risk damaging the relationship. The franchise tag is disliked by players because it provides no guarantees other than a one-year guaranteed payment. Any player that is thinking long-term understands that if he plays on the franchise tag and gets hurt or falls behind in his performance, he will lose a lot of money and long-term security.
Adams’ guaranteed $20.1 million salary in 2022 currently counts entirely against the cap, so it’s not a fantastic move for the Packers. There’s no way to reduce the cap hit down by manipulating it, which is a poor position for a club that’s still $44 million over the limit now that they’re carrying that money.
How the Packers need Davante Adams’ predicament to play out
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams #17 catches a ball for a first down | Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
There’s just one way this franchise tag bet makes sense, and that’s if the Packers and Adams can rapidly come to an agreement on a long-term contract.
The key to the franchise tag is that there are many distinct types: exclusive, non-exclusive, and transition tags.
Adams was given the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Packers, which means he may still accept offers from other teams, but the Packers have the option to match such offers. If they don’t, the other club will owe them two first-round selections as compensation, making it improbable.
That practically means Green Bay has until July 15th to reach an agreement with Adams on a long-term contract, which is the only viable choice in this circumstance.
Gutekunst, for one, seemed to insinuate before the NFL combine that he hopes the tag would just be a temporary fix.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, Gutekunst remarked, “It’s sort of a last-option kind of thing.” “And even if we do have to utilize it, it’ll be more of a bridge to hopefully a future expansion.” We make an effort to be courteous. Before Tae departed, I had a great talk with him about all of that. He’s a one-of-a-kind player and guy, and we’d want to give him a long-term contract offer that benefits both parties.”
This offseason, the Packers still have a lot of work to do.
Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams #17 warms up before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium | Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Adams’ salary cap hit is now way too high.
Green Bay has been working hard to get under the salary limit before the start of the new league year, but even with Adams “signed,” the Packers still have 14 unrestricted free agents to consider. Plus, rather than merely reuniting the band, there’s the possibility of truly enhancing the squad in free agency.
Remember, “The Band” was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this season, so the Packers can’t afford to be complacent.
The good news is that although the terms of Aaron Rodgers’ new deal are yet unknown, it is expected to be cap friendly. As it stands, his current contract consumes 21.6 percent of the salary ceiling for 2022, so there will be plenty of space.
There will very certainly be some cutbacks. Za’Darius Smith has long been considered a cut possibility since releasing him would save the Packers $15.2 million. There’s also a risk that many major players from last season will not get an offer because they aren’t worth it or have priced themselves out of the Green Bay market.
Tight end Robert Tonyan Jr., cornerback Rasul Douglas, and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell are all possible offseason trade candidates. The Packers, on the other hand, should do everything possible to keep Campbell.
The necessity of rapidly figuring out a long-term contract with Adams grows ten-fold when considering how little space Green Bay has this summer.
The Packers aren’t have to wait until July 15th to complete the task. In fact, the sooner they do so, the better, since free agency is quickly approaching, followed by the NFL Draft in 2022.
Adams was tagged by the franchise, which was a risky move. It may seem contradictory, but he suddenly has a lot of clout with the Packers because he has to know how much they want him back long-term and how critical it is for Green Bay to clear salary space.
We’ll have to wait and see how things play out, but applying the franchise tag and then allowing Adams to carry it into the 2022 season would be a huge error on the Packers’ part.
They need to reach an agreement on a long-term basis as soon as possible.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provides contract information.
Davante Adams says there are only two ways to stop him, but he won’t say which one.
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