Get ready for Aaron Rodgers to post the lyrics of a sad breakup song on social media along with crying emoji and a black and white photo.
Or get ready for Rogers to spread the popular “I won’t quit” meme from The Wolf of Wall Street.
Tuesday could be the day the future Hall of Famer quarterback finds a dramatic way to announce whether he wants to stay with the Packers, ask for a trade, or retire. More specifically, the Packers probably used that day as an unofficial deadline, as they seem to be wary of setting a hard cutoff and alienating Rogers even more.
NFL teams must decide by 4 p.m. whether the franchise should tag potential free agents. The Packers face the biggest decision in the league about All-Pro wide receiver Davant Adams, whose future appears to depend on Rodgers returning, and another shot at the Super Bowl. Why else would the Packers wait so long for Adams?
“These two situations are completely different,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said last week. “These are two different players and two different situations, both great in their own right. We are lucky to have them and we hope they both move forward. But they are separate.”
Aaron Rodgers could announce his intention to the Packers as early as Tuesday. AP Photo
The future of Davante Adams Packers lies with Aaron Rodgers. Getty Images
The tag is a highly paid one-year contract (fully guaranteed $18.4 million for recipients) that usually acts as a placeholder to keep the player from free agency and prolong renewal negotiations. If a deal is not reached by July 15, the tag will go into effect and contract negotiations should end.
The free agent market may also be affected by Rodgers’ decision. If he wants to leave and Adams goes free, then forwards Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith could also become available if the Packers decide to restore and organize their salary cap.
Of course, keeping Adams will also be critical to the development of quarterback Jordan Love, but Adams is much less likely to want to play on a one-year contract with the unproven Love than he is with the other half of arguably the NFL’s most dynamic duo.
If Adams becomes a free agent, he will enter the conversation as the best player available, regardless of position and the threat of reuniting with his former Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr of the Raiders.