GREEN BAY, Wisconsin. Aaron Rodgers is back, and somehow, it looks like Davante Adams will be back as well, as the Green Bay Packers put the franchise label on the All-Pro wide receiver.
Shortly after news of Rogers’ return, the Packers tagged their star wide receiver on Tuesday just before the deadline.
The Packers were going to tag Adams regardless of Rodgers’ status; he was scheduled to become a free agent on March 16. This allows the Packers to continue negotiating a long-term deal through July 15, but also has the safety net of holding Adams through the tag. However, until a deal is reached, the franchise’s total of about $20.1 million for Adams will face the Packers’ already overstretched salary cap once free agency kicks in.
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The Packers have already earned $27.5 million over the projected cap for 2022, excluding Adams’ ID number, and will almost certainly try to talk Adams into signing a long-term deal that lowers his cap.
The total franchise is a 20% increase from Adams’ 2021 compensation, which includes base salary, squad bonuses, and a pro rata portion of his original $18 million signing bonus since he signed his last 30 contract. December 2017. That contract averaged $14.5 million, placing him 17th on last season’s payroll list.
It is unlikely that Adams will play for the franchise number; it won’t give him a long-term guarantee and the Packers will have a hard time keeping up with their salary cap.
When asked at the end of last season about the possibility of being tagged, Adams said: “I’m not sure how to safely answer that question right now. So, we’ll just cross this bridge when we get to it. I’ll just say that. I like being professional here.”
Rodgers and Adams hold the Packers record for career touchdowns in a quarterback-receiver combo with 68, beating Rodgers and Geordie Nelson’s previous mark of 65.
Last summer, Adams made no secret of his desire to become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. The Packers agreed, but the parties could not agree on what determines the highest paid recipient. Adams and his agent Frank Bauer value the standard at $27.75 million a year, which is the contract average of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
However, the Packers believe that Hopkins’ average is closer to $20 million a year, given that his last deal was an extension of his previous contract (five years, $81 million). The extra money was $54.5 million over two more years.
Last summer, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst explained his point of view this way: “That’s how you interpret what the highest earner in the National Football League gets, you know what I mean?”
Adams set the Packers single-season record for receptions (123) and receiving yards (1,553) last season. He became only the sixth player in NFL history to throw for 120-plus catches, 1,500-plus yards and 11-plus touchdowns in a single season. He is the only player in NFL history to have 110-plus receptions, 1,350-plus receiving yards, and 11-plus receiving touchdowns in three seasons (2018, 2020-21) and is one of only three players in league history with 650+ receptions. , 8000 receptions. -plus receiving yards and 70+ TD receptions in his first eight seasons in the NFL; Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald are others.
Before tagging Adams, the Packers hadn’t used him since 2010 (Ryan Pickett’s defensive tackle).