Davante Adams continued to cement his status as the top wide receiver in the NFL this year. The 29-year old put together one of the best seasons in Packers franchise history. He caught 100 passes for the third time in four years. He also broke Jordy Nelson‘s single-season receiving yards record after amassing 1,553 yards during his 2021 campaign. The two-time First-Team All-Pro is set to hit unrestricted free agent status in March. Adams has long stated that he wants to become the highest-paid at his position when signing his next deal.
This would mean surpassing the $27.25 million earned annually by Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Already making his salary demands public, Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline reported that the former second-round pick wants to earn a yearly salary upwards of $30 million per year. With the Green Bay Packers entering free agency as much as $40 million over the cap, retaining their star player will require some significant cap maneuvering from general manager Brian Gutekunst and the team’s front office.
Here are the top five free agency destinations for Davante Adams.
5. Adams & Las Vegas Raiders
One of the stories of the year is how the Raiders snuck into the playoffs after a season filled with controversies. Head coach Jon Gruden resigned after he was fired due to the leaking of disturbing emails. Las Vegas also released former first-round pick Henry Ruggs after he was arrested on a DUI in November. With a roster full of young developing guys, the team has some good skill position players to build around on offense in running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow.
However, Las Vegas remains thin at the wide receiver spot, lacking a true number one threat in the passing game. With nearly $22 million to spend in free agency before making any roster moves, inking Adams to a deal would give new head coach Josh McDaniels an added weapon. Furthermore, it would also reunite the Fresno State alum with his former college quarterback in Derek Carr.
4. Adams & Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis suffered a disastrous end to their season after winning six of seven games from Week 9 to Week 16. They lost their final two contests, falling to the Raiders and the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars to miss the playoffs. Struggling to move the ball on offense down the stretch run of the year, second-year man Michael Pittman Jr. remained the only bright spot for the group. He eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career after leading the group with 88 catches.
No other played on the Colts recorded more than 400 receiving yards. Zach Pascal finished second on the team with 384. Looking to rebound and make the postseason next year, Indianapolis lacks the talent and the depth to compete with the elite passing attacks in the AFC. That’s where Adams would come in. While inking a soon-to-be 30-year-old wide receiver to top-end money is an uncharacteristic move for general manager Chris Ballard, it might help push Frank Reich‘s team over the top.
3. Adams & Los Angeles Chargers
Entering the offseason with a boatload of cap space, the Chargers have over $68 million in available salary. With Justin Herbert still on his rookie deal, the team has multiple big-time free agents. These include Kyzir White, Uchenna Nwosu, Justin Jones, Andre Roberts, and Oday Aboushi. The most significant question mark for the team is at the wide receiver position. Fresh off a career-high in receiving yards, catches, and touchdown receptions, former first-round pick Mike Williams is also set to hit the open market.
He will command close to $18 million in free agency. The University of Clemson alum could ultimately price himself out of Los Angeles. Looking to capitalize on the years they have left with their star signal-caller on a rookie deal, signing Adams would give the Chargers an elite option to pair across from Keenan Allen.
2. Adams & Denver Broncos
Denver is the front runner to land Aaron Rodgers in a trade. They recently hired Nathaniel Hackett after the 42-year-old spent two seasons as the Packers’ offensive coordinator. With a Super-Bowl-caliber roster in place, the Broncos have a young defense and a solid supporting cast of offensive skill players in place. They also have the available draft capital to land the four-time MVP after shipping out longtime pass rusher Von Miller at the deadline.
The team also has the fifth most cap space in the league. It was recently reported that Rodgers would like to play with Adams next season wherever he lands. Expected to be franchise tagged by Green Bay as they look to work out a long-term deal, acquiring the duo in a trade would push the Broncos franchise to elite contender status in a loaded AFC.
1. Adams Stays With the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay opens up the offseason faced with questions. The team is currently $40 million over the salary cap. They also have multiple key free agents in Allen Lazard, De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Robert Tonyan. Nonetheless, look for them to make re-upping with their star wide receiver one of their top priorities.
Likely to place the franchise tag on him to extend their window to come to terms with him, the one-year deal would come in at a hefty price of over $20 million. A Pro-Bowler in each of his last five seasons, agreeing on a long-term deal with Adams looks like a long shot at this point. However, if the Packers wants to bring back all of their core pieces with the hopes to run it back one more time in 2022, he is the most important one of them all.
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