Davante Adams

Receiver Davante Adams can become a free agent this offseason, and there have been no discussions about a new contract between his side and the Green Bay Packers since the season ended, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Adams is an obvious candidate for Green Bay's franchise tag. The window to use the tag starts Tuesday and ends March 8.

Adams earned his fifth straight Pro Bowl selection last season while setting career highs with 123 catches and 1,553 receiving yards. He also had 11 receiving touchdowns, fifth-most in the NFL.

In 2020, Adams led the league with 18 receiving touchdowns to go with 115 catches and 1,374 receiving yards.

While he was one of the top wideouts in the NFL, Adams' average salary from his last contract ($14.5 million per year) put him just 19th at the position in 2021, per Spotrac. 

With the franchise tag, the 29-year-old could make a projected $19.1 million in 2022 on a one-year tender, per OverTheCap. If he reaches the open market, he would probably make over $20 million per year, a milestone currently hit by only DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper.

One important factor could also be Aaron Rodgers' future in Green Bay. The quarterback could return to the Packers in 2022, force a trade to a new team or retire.

Though he told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that he had not made a decision, Rodgers said he plans to make a choice soon to provide clarity for Adams, via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

The lack of communication between the Packers and Adams creates more uncertainty about the roster heading into 2022.   

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones said Tuesday he's hopeful quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to the team for the 2022 season.

Jones explained on the NFL Network's NFL Total Access Live he doesn't have any inside information, saying he's "heard what everybody else has heard," but he wants the 10-time Pro Bowler back in green, gold and white.

"But I think he'll be there, in my heart. Green Bay, I can't imagine him anywhere else, that's where he's been his whole career," he said. "I just can't picture him anywhere else. I think we had a lot of fun this year, I hope to have him back and I believe in my heart he'll be back."

Rodgers was a first-round pick of the Packers in the 2005 draft, and he's provided the franchise with immense value, highlighted by the Super Bowl XLV title and three MVP Awards. The latter number will likely increase to four once this season's MVP winner is announced.

Whether he'll finish his Hall of Fame career in Green Bay has come into question over the past few years, though. He was away from the franchise for much of the offseason in 2021 before returning for the start of training camp.

The Packers' outlook for the upcoming offseason features multiple hurdles. Most notably, figuring out whether Rodgers is willing to return and, if he does, trying to work some salary-cap magic to ensure the roster around him is at a championship level.

Rodgers made it clear after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers he had no interest in waiting out a roster reconstruction.

"I don't want to be a part of a rebuild if I'm going to keep playing," the 38-year-old Cal product told reporters.

Yet Green Bay is a projected $49.3 million over the salary cap entering the offseason (via Spotrac) and still has to handle the future of Davante Adams, who'll likely be retained via the franchise tag if the sides don't agree on a long-term extension.

Rodgers could provide an assist by reworking his own contract, which features a $46.7 million cap hit for next season.

The one thing working in the Packers' favor in their efforts to retain the legendary quarterback is the AFC-NFC dynamic.

Joe Burrow, who'll lead the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl on Sunday, joins the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen, Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert and Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson among the high-profile signal-callers in the AFC. The conference's playoffs will be a hard-fought gauntlet for the next decade.

The NFC possesses a far more wide-open feel following the retirement of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees over the last two years. The Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson also enter the offseason with an uncertain future for their longtime partnership.

So if Rodgers' main focus is chasing down another title, staying in Green Bay alongside Adams and Jones probably represents his path of least resistance.

Whether he views the situation the same way remains a mystery, though.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly have interest in teaming up on the Denver Broncos.

Jordan Schultz of Boardroom reported on the possibility and noted why the Broncos are the team that could best accommodate both players:

Sources: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams would love to team up with the #Broncos.

🎥: @TheGameDayNFL pic.twitter.com/QYHmPFMlZb

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 26, 2022

Schultz noted that the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers is "severed" and Adams is "frustrated" with the Packers' treatment of the quarterback, who is his close friend.

In addition, Schultz reported that Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is considered the favorite to land the Broncos' head coaching job after interviewing with them for eight hours, which would further strengthen the ties.

Rodgers and the Packers came to an agreement during training camp that resulted in a reworked deal and his reporting and playing in 2021 despite some of the issues he had with the organization.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback agreed to play provided he would be given a say in his NFL future beyond the 2021 campaign. He won't be a free agent until after the 2022 season, so his options are: return to the Packers, retire or ask for a trade.

Green Bay used the year to work on repairing its relationship with Rodgers, but it is unclear if anything changed.

Despite being the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Rodgers and the Packers were ousted by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round, thus ending their season in disappointment once again.

Rodgers was noncommittal about his future after the loss, saying only that he would make a decision before free agency.

Decisions also have to be made regarding Adams, who is set to become a free agent this offseason.

The Packers could prevent the receiver from signing anywhere else by placing the franchise tag on him, but if they lose Rodgers, a rebuild could be in the cards.

Schultz noted that Green Bay could send Adams to Denver as part of a sign-and-trade deal that might yield a first-round pick and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who was the Broncos' first-round selection in 2020.

The Broncos have not reached the playoffs since 2015 and have cycled through several quarterbacks since Peyton Manning's retirement following that Super Bowl-winning season, so there is no doubt they would have interest in Rodgers if he had a desire to join them.

Rodgers is a 10-time Pro Bowler, one-time Super Bowl champion and might be on the verge of becoming a four-time NFL MVP. Even at age 38, he would make Denver an instant contender.

Due in part to Rodgers, Adams has developed into one of the top wideouts in the game.

The 29-year-old has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the past five seasons and a First Team All-Pro in each of the past two.

After setting a career high with 18 touchdown catches in 2020, he set career highs in 2021 with 123 receptions for 1,553 yards while also making 11 touchdown grabs.

The Rodgers-Adams combo would become an instant threat in an AFC West that has been dominated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, but nothing can happen until Rodgers makes his decision.

The Green Bay Packers suffered another disappointing playoff exit this weekend, falling short of a Super Bowl for the 11th consecutive season. With the offseason now fast approaching, team brass will soon have some tough decisions to make on the future of several key players.

The most difficult of those choices regards wideout Davante Adams, the most prized free agent in the 2022 class.

Adams has spent the last eight seasons with the Packers, the club that selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. He's evolved into one of the league's greats at wide receiver, amassing 669 catches for 8,121 yards and 73 touchdowns in 116 games.

Despite his impressive numbers, Green Bay has never advanced past the NFC Championship Game with Adams on the roster.

The team came close recently—falling short in both the 2020 and 2021 conference title games—but just took an embarrassing 13-10 loss in the Divisional Round to the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers.

That defeat exposed several weaknesses in the top-seeded Packers lineup, problems that may not get a chance to be fixed if quarterback Aaron Rodgers decides to exit after being mum on his future in Green Bay.

While the Packers may try to keep Adams around to entice Rodgers to remain in Titletown, it would be a costly choice. PFF is estimating it will cost over $23 million per season to lock Adams down.

If the Packers and Adams can’t come to an agreement on a multi-year contract, the club also has the option of franchise tagging the superstar.

The tag will ring up around $20.12 million for the 2022 season, a sizable chunk for an organization with $247.882 million—the second-most in the league—in commitments, putting them a projected $44.8 million over the cap.

It will be extremely challenging for the Pack to squeeze a new deal in with their current financial restraints. The likelihood of it happening is further reduced by Adams' desire to become the league's highest paid receiver with his next contract.

It's a condition the Packers have been reluctant to agree to and will have even less reason to if Rodgers ends up leaving.

There should be no shortage of competing teams willing to honor those high-paying wishes when Adams hits the open market.

Here's a few spots where Adams could land if and when he leaves Green Bay.

             

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders just made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, but their appearance was short-lived after the Bengals eliminated them in the Wild Card Round.

It's readily apparent the squad needs more firepower to evolve into a true Super Bowl contender, something Adams could provide that offense in spades.

While the Raiders appear to be a team on the rise—2021 marked only their second winning season since 2003, but they have improved their win percentage in each of the last four years—there is another key reason why this would be an intriguing club for Adams to sign with.

Las Vegas offers Adams the opportunity to play with quarterback Derek Carr again. The two partnered up at Fresno State in 2012-13, enjoying plenty of success during their two years together.

Before entering the NFL together as second-round picks in 2014, the battery linked up for over 3,000 yards and 38 scores with the Bulldogs.

Both players have expressed their desire to team up at the professional level, with Carr calling Adams "one of his best friends" and claiming that he would be recruiting the wideout in free agency.

Adams should be receptive to Carr's pitch, as he said this past June that "it would be a dream to play with [Carr]" again.

If Vegas can land Adams, it would finally provide the team with the No. 1 wideout it has sorely lacked.

The team has great complementary pieces in place with tight end Darren Waller and possession receiver Hunter Renfrow, but desperately needs a playmaker of Adams’ caliber in its receiving corps.

             

Miami Dolphins

No team will have more cap space to work with this coming offseason than the Miami Dolphins.

Spotrac estimates that the 'Phins are almost $68 million under the projected cap, giving them plenty of funds to go on a free-agency spending spree.

If the team wants to get the best return on its investment, it should look no further than Adams.

The five-time Pro Bowler could be piece that Miami has been missing after the club came up just short of a postseason berth in each of the last two seasons.

The Dolphins completely whiffed on Will Fuller V last offseason, getting just 55 snaps over two games from the wideout who cost them more than $10 million on the open market.

With Fuller coming off the books, team brass should be using some of its cash to find a star wideout to augment promising rookie WR Jaylen Waddle in the passing game.

Waddle, the No. 6 overall pick in 2021, racked up 1,015 yards and six touchdowns on 104 receptions in his first pro season.

His presence greatly benefitted second-year signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa, who managed to guide the team to eight wins over its final nine games while dealing with a shaky offensive line and lack of consistent weapons.

Despite expending a top-five pick on him less than two years ago and getting wins in 13 of his first 21 starts, Miami clearly isn't sold on Tagovailoa as a franchise quarterback.

He's been a constant source of trade rumors, but the Alabama product could finally put those to rest if he remains on the roster and has a strong 2022 season.

If Miami wants to find Tagovailoa's true ceiling, it needs to beef up his protection and provide him with an elite veteran wideout like Adams.

The Dolphins have plenty of work to do his offseason—including finding a new coach after their controversial decision to fire Brian Flores—but bringing Adams aboard would be one of the shrewdest moves they could make.

               

Chicago Bears

There's a chance that Adams remains in the NFC North even if he leaves the Packers this offseason.

The Chicago Bears make the most sense of the three competing teams in the division that could make a realistic run at the receiver. They are likely going to have a major hole in the receivers' room and plenty of money to throw around after the expected departure of Allen Robinson II.

Robinson just wrapped up an abysmal 2021 season that he played out on a franchise tag. He appeared in just 12 games and recorded a meager 410 yards and one touchdown, a wildly disappointing showing after back-to-back 1,000-plus yard campaigns.

With Robinson almost certainly on his way out, Chicago might be willing to allocate big money towards his replacement.

Adams would be a fantastic acquisition for the club, given his status as one of the most consistent wide receivers over the past decade.

Over the last six seasons, no wideout has had more receiving yardage or touchdowns than Adams. He's been remarkably durable as well, suffering some nagging injuries but still participating in 87 of a possible 97 regular season games in that span.

The Bears need reliability as they prepare to go into Year 2 of the Justin Fields era.

Fields is coming off a trying rookie season, winning just two of his 10 starts while completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,870 yards and seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions and 36 sacks.

There is hope for Fields, however, as he earned the second-highest overall PFF grade of any rookie quarterback last year and showed flashes of brilliance.

While Fields couldn't establish a rapport with Robinson, he showed plenty of chemistry with Darnell Mooney. That connection aided the second-year receiver in a breakout year, one in which Mooney reeled in 81 of his 140 targets for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns.

While finding offensive line help should be at the top of the Bears' offseason to-do list, adding one of the NFL's best receivers into the mix would do just as much to jump-start the development of their 22-year-old signal-caller.

The Associated Press revealed its selections for the 2021 NFL All-Pro team on Friday.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald were all unanimous selections.

Also selected to the team were Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who was the only rookie chosen.

Here is a full rundown of the All-Pro First Team, courtesy of the AP:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Running Back: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Tight End: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Wide Receivers: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers; Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Left Tackle: Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers

Right Tackle: Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Left Guard: Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns

Right Guard: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys

Center: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles

Edge Rushers: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers; Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

Interior Defensive Linemen: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers

Linebackers: Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts; Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys; De'Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers

Cornerbacks: Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys; Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams

Safeties: Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans; Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills

Placekicker: Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Punter: A.J. Cole, Las Vegas Raiders

Kick Returner: Braxton Berrios, New York Jets

Punt Returner: Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens

Special Teamer: J. T. Gray, New Orleans Saints

Long Snapper: Luke Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts

The 38-year-old Rodgers is now a First Team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career and the second year in a row. He is also favored to repeat as NFL MVP after leading the Packers to a 13-4 record and throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady was the only other quarterback to receive a vote with 16, placing him on the All-Pro Second Team.

Taylor is another player who was a strong candidate to MVP all season long, and the AP All-Pro voters recognized him as such.

In just his second NFL season, Taylor led the league with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, as well as 2,171 total yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns.

The only blemish on his season was the fact that Indianapolis finished just 9-8 and failed to reach the playoffs after shockingly falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18.

While Taylor is playing at an elite level early in his career, few players in NFL history have made as much of an instant impact as Parsons.

The No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft out of Penn State helped transform the Dallas defense as a rookie, finishing with 84 tackles, 30 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defended in 16 games.

Per Barry Wilner of the Associated Press, Parsons took great honor in his selection, saying:

"I think it's an extraordinary honor. It speaks to the work and the position the Cowboys put me in. I think it’s just a true blessing. It just makes you want to go harder.

"I think when you achieve things early, you've got to learn how to sustain it. People always say when you get there it gets easier. But I think when you get there, it gets harder. Once you get it, you've got it. But it's hard to sustain it than it is just to get there. I've got to just keep working and keep getting better and find a way to beat this season next year, which is the harder part."

The Cowboys were among the most highly represented teams on the All-Pro First Team with three selections.

They are joined by the Packers, Rams, Colts and Ravens, who all had three players selected to the team as well.