Packers’ fans everywhere woke up to startling news Monday morning. Less than a week ago it was announced that Green Bay used the franchise tag on All-Pro WR Davante Adams. Yesterday, Ian Rapoport broke news he will not play under the tag. Adams wants a new contract.

March 8th, 2022, felt like a massive day for Packers fans everywhere. Aaron Rodgers announces his intent to return to Green Bay. As a subsequent move, the Packers used the franchise tag to bring back Davante Adams. It felt as though the pieces were all coming together for a 2022 “Last Dance” type scenario.

It would appear there is a pause in the music for said dance. While the two sides are actively working on a new deal, reports say they “remain far apart” according to Rapaport.

What does this mean for the Packers? Davante Adams will almost certainly play hardball while he looks to have a long-term deal done before returning to the field. The franchise tag allowed the Packers time to work something out and kept Adams off the free agency market. They now have until July to get a long-term deal done. Beyond that, we could see a hold-out situation.

The front office in Green Bay has actively been working to clear cap space in recent months. There is still a great deal of work to be done to reach a deal.

Recent cap conscious moves included cutting OT Billy Turner, and OLB Za’Darius Smith. The restructuring of Preston Smith’s contract was also done to clear space as well.

The Fresno State product is a top receiver in the league. He deserves to be paid as such. Under the current franchise tag, Adams is set to be paid $20.145M. Meanwhile, Christian Kirk just signed a 4-year deal worth up to $84M from the Jaguars. That’s an AAV of $21M.

At the age of 29, Adams is still in the prime of his career. With 5,310 receiving yards and 47 TD receptions over the past four seasons, he is certainly looking to cash in.

——————

Zach has been a lifelong Packers fan since his earliest memories of Brett Favre\\\'s Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXII. A proud shareholder of the team, he bleeds Green and Gold despite being born and raised in New Jersey. You can follow him on twitter at @RapMasterZach.

——————