The Green Bay Packers are entering a new era of football without All Pros Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers. Both will undoubtedly end up in the Hall of Fame as Packers one day, but both also had controversial endings to their time in Green Bay. Rodgers, once again, has taken some shots at the organization in an article recently published by Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Rodgers’ comments have been the talk of the sporting world, and there are a great deal of things to highlight. One thing, however, that is going unnoticed is how he did a 180 on Davante Adams’ contract negotiations.
What Aaron Rodgers Said About the Green Bay Packers Contract Negotiations with Davante Adams
In his interview with Schneidman, Rodgers said of the Packers and Adams:
“They offered him less money than Christian Kirk ($18 million per year) and (Adams) is going, ‘Are you serious right now? I’m the best receiver in the league, and you’re gonna offer me less than Christian Kirk?” Rodgers said. “With all due respect, he’s not on Davante’s level.
“I’m sure that the team will say that’s just the business of negotiation — it’s like, yeah, but you’re also sending a message to that guy, and a lot of times it can stick with guys and make them a little sour on things. … That goes back to the first offer that they made, and I don’t think (the Packers) had the foresight — obviously didn’t have the foresight.”
While shutting down negotiations during the 2021 season, Adams, like Rodgers, posted a second consecutive All-Pro campaign. “By the time he got to the end of it, I think he kind of made up his mind he was gonna go somewhere else,” Rodgers said.
It is clear from his comments that he does not think highly of the Packers in how they negotiated with Adams. If it is true that they low-balled Adams that badly, they certainly are worthy of criticism. That is not the point here, though.
Aaron Rodgers Was Singing a Different Tune in 2022
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After Adams was traded last offseason, Rodgers was asked about what he thought about the trade. In his answer, he actually defended Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball:
“We [himself and Adams] had some really honest conversations about my future here, and how long I wanted to play. His own thoughts about his future and where he wanted to play, live and raise his family. The Team obviously stepped up and made a competitive, or an even more compelling, offer. Ultimately, Davante thought it was best for him and his family to be in Vegas. So that was tough for sure, but I love Tae and love our connection. “
Now, this is not to say that the Packers did not offer Adams less than $20 million per year as both he and Rodgers are claiming. However, last year, Rodgers praised the front office for offering even more money than Adams got from the Raiders. Now, well, he is choosing to focus on the initial offer. Back then, the nature of negotiation was okay with him; now it is something he holds against the organization.
In the end, perhaps the Packers would not have had to offer such a low number to start out had Rodgers signed a more team friendly deal. For all the finger pointing Rodgers has done and continues to do in regards to his exit from Green Bay, he sure is deflecting a lot of the blame.
Perhaps he should look in the mirror.
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