Just when you thought the dramatics were over in Green Bay, the spotlight shifts.
One year after Aaron Rodgers essentially held the Packers hostage, his top target is putting his foot down until his demands are met. Long story, short? Davante Adams has told the Packers brass he will *NOT* play under the Franchise Tag in 2022.
From @GMFB: #Packers star WR Davante Adams has informed the team he won’t play on the franchise tag, and the sides remain far apart on a long-term deal, per sources. It’s all coming to a head. Something has to give. pic.twitter.com/Df0zpvhglM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2022
Saying that right now? It isn’t inconsequential. The July 15 deadline lies ahead, so this is an understandably hard-line stance from a player who knows how valuable he is to his team (a team that may need to plan far ahead given their current cap hell).
Adams is Rodgers’ top target. He is coming off an All-Pro season in which he had the third-most yards (1,553) and fifth-most receiving touchdowns (11). You’d think that a Rodgers extension (which lowers his cap hit) would have been done in order to help facilitate the Adams deal. However, it has long been Green Bay’s plan to run it back with Rodgers on an extension and Adams on a tag.
And as we’ve seen with Alshon Jeffery and Allen Robinson II, things can get messy when a player is stuck with that tag looming over his head.
As a reminder, Adams doesn’t have to go to offseason training program workouts, minicamp, training camp, or anything else until he signs the Franchise Tag tender. Should he do so, he’ll get something in the neighborhood of $20 million guaranteed. But it sure doesn’t sound like that is happening any time soon.
