Let Davante Adams walk.

This should be Davante Adams’ last year in Green Bay. I’m a Davante Adams fan for life but before you light up the message boards & crush my twitter mentions, hear me out.

Now that it seems like the Aaron Rodgers situation is solved (for this year at least), ANOTHER elephant in the Green Bay Packers locker room is Wide Receiver, Davante Adams. Adams wants to be the highest paid receiver in the NFL. He’s EASILY one of the top five in the game, right? Of course he is and by the way, Adams is also one of the highest paid wide receivers in the NFL. (He’s actually 15th) Contract negotiations are reportedly DONE (for now) between Adams and the Packers. It would seem after the “Last Dance” Instagram post, that #17 & #12’s futures in Green Bay are connected and expiring.

I’ve been saying since the night Jordan Love was drafted that the Packers were gonna sit Love for two years and cut ties with Rodgers in 2022. Since Davante Adams & Rodgers are good friends and it’s easy to see that Adams has no intention of playing with a quarterback NOT named “Aaron” in Green Bay, this is probably his last year in Titletown.

Guess what? I’m cool with that. Why?

YOU DON’T PAY WIDE RECEIVERS TOP DOLLAR. 

If Adams wants to be the highest paid wide receiver in football, that’s his call. He’s certainly earned it but it would only hurt the Packers financially (or whatever team DOES pay him). It’s pretty simple: Paying wide receivers top dollar is dumb. And while Davante Adams is certainly an elite WR, let’s also remember that he hasn’t played a full 16 game season in 4 years. Add on game #17 this year and who knows how his body will hold up over the next few seasons.  

LET’S GO TO THE NUMBERS

Here’s a list of the highest paid NFL wide receivers and their team’s record over the last 10 years (via Spotrac):

2020: DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals 8-8)
2019: Julio Jones (Falcons 7-9)
2018: Odell Beckham Jr (Giants 5-11)
2017: Deandre Hopkins (Texans 4-12)
2016: Julio Jones (Falcons 11-5 lost in the Superbowl)
2015: Calvin Johnson (Lions 7-9)
2014: Mike Wallace (Dolphins 8-8)
2013: Andre Johnson (Texans 2-14)
2012: Vincent Jackson (Buccaneers 7-9)
2011: Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals 8-8)

A team with the highest paid WR had a winning record ONE TIME in the last decade. In fact, the last time a team with the highest paid wide receiver in football won the Superbowl? Marvin Harrison and the Colts in 2008 when Harrison made $8.4 million.

Mike Evans’ cap hit last year with Superbowl Champion Tampa Bay was $8.38 million. Chris Godwin made $2.3 million. Ask yourself how many wide receivers did Tom Brady have while winning all seven of his Superbowls, that were the highest paid in the league? NONE.

Wide receivers are flashy and fun to watch and at times, sexy. We love the highlight plays and the endzone celebrations but the reality is this: they’re often overpaid. A set of GOOD wide receivers is usually better than one GREAT one + a bunch of scrubs. Don’t ask me. Ask Aaron Rodgers. You know #12 makes a LOT of the wideouts that he’s played with better. 

NEXT YEAR IS ALREADY GOING TO BE ROUGH

The Packers are in salary cap HELL in 2022. They’re already almost $50 million over the cap. They’ve got the highest paid left tackle in football along with a high priced quarterback, an expensive running back and guys like Za’Darius Smith making good money (who will want more) on the defensive side of the ball. They simply can’t afford to pay Davante Adams and they shouldn’t, even if they kick the salary cap can down the road again. He wants a MINIMUM salary of $25 million per year. That’s insane. 

Davante Adams may be the best wide receiver in Green Bay HISTORY but if the Packers do move on from Rodgers & Adams after the last dance, they’ll free up A LOT of money to add pieces on defense, build around Love and to take care guys who they view as the future.

THE SUN IS SETTING

I’m not sure Packers fans are ready to take a step back while Jordan Love gets his feet wet in 2022. (Don’t forget the Packers went 6-10 in Rodgers’ 1st year as a starter in 2008). And while i realize the value in having a #1 WR for Love to throw to, can you really justify paying one guy $27 million for a year on a team that likely will need 2 years to get back to the playoffs (hopefully).

A new era in Titletown may be one year away and that means Batman & Robin could be pitching & catching for another team. It’s hard to say this but it’s best for the Packers to ride this wave in 2021, hopefully get a ring and then rip the band aid off. We can all assume it’s happening with Rodgers, but the time will come to do the same with Davante.

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