Report: Green Bay Packers make franchise tag decision on Davante Adams

The Green Bay Packers are expected to put a franchise tag on wide receiver Davante Adams ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The team will use cap space freed up by signing Aaron Rodgers to a massive four-year, $200 million deal on Tuesday.

If the Packers didn’t agree to a new deal with Adams or use the tag, their star wide receiver would have been open to the free-agent market at the start of the new league year on March 16.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said that using a franchise tag for Adams would be the last resort, preferring, instead, to sign him to a more long-term deal.

The Packers haven’t used a franchise tag since 2010 when they tagged defensive tackle Ryan Pickett. Despite helping their cause for Rodgers, tagging Adams comes with a high price. It will cost $20.1 million and it hits the Packers’ already inflated cap immediately.

Adams expected to continue high production into his 30s

Trailing only Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Adams finished second in the NFL in receptions. He had a career-high 1,553 yards with 11 touchdowns on 123 receptions. He’s going into his ninth year in the league in 2022. Despite nearing his 30s, the Packers believe he’ll continue to provide big numbers for years to come.

“One of the things we look at specifically for guys who are Hall of Fame-caliber players, I think there’s a lot of production into their 30s,” Gutekunst said. “It’s like anything, there’s risk either way. There’s a lot of risk if we don’t have Davante Adams and what that does to our football team as well.”

Adams was considered the top would-be-free-agent wide receiver this offseason, leaving teams like the Broncos, Chargers and Jags looking elsewhere.

Packers lock up Rodgers with blockbuster deal

Aaron Rodgers is reportedly signing a four-year, $200 million deal with the Green Bay Packers that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed details on the deal following Pat McAfee breaking the news of Rodgers’ decision to stay in Green Bay.

“He gets a whopping $153M guaranteed and his cap number goes down,” Rapoport shared. “A monstrous commitment by GB for years to come.”

This past season, Rodgers claimed his second straight MVP award as he threw for 4,115 yards and ranked third in the NFL with a 68.9% completion percentage. He also threw for a league-low four interceptions and 37 touchdowns — giving him one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios of the year. Green Bay earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs but ultimately fell to San Francisco in the divisional round.