The Packers have a week to get a deal done with Davante Adams.
Tuesday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m. central time is the deadline for the Packers to make a decision whether they will use the franchise tag on the game’s best receiver.
If the Packers are even considering doing this, it is something that could potentially blow up in their face. Remember, players hate being tagged because they usually get less than they would get on the open market.
But it also hurts the team as well. Washington tagged Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017 — becoming the first quarterback to repeat as a franchise tagged player. He was paid $19.9 million in 2016 and $23.9 million 2017.
That offseason, Cousins, spurred by mounting frustration over a long-term deal, signed with Minnesota.
According to OverTheCap.com, Adams would get $19.1 million if he was tagged. But in order for the Packers to do that, they must have the salary cap space — and the Packers are currently $30.4 million in the red after recently restructuring Kenny Clark, Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari.
Tagging Adams, who turns 30 on Christmas Eve, should be the very last resort. Granted, I don’t want to pay him over $23 million a season, but if you give him a long-term deal, that money can be spread out and you could give him more guaranteed money up front.
This is a passing league. You need a great receiving threat if you want to compete. Adams was sixth in the league with 14 catches of 25 yards or more and he was second in the NFL in targets with 169 — behind Cooper Kupp’s 191.
You could make the argument that Rodgers makes the receivers and that’s true to some extent. However, without Adams, this offense would stumble. Adams can win any one-on-one matchup that is presented to him thanks to some of the best route running in the game.
And his hands have gotten better since his first two seasons in 2014 and 2015.
What Adams needs to understand is what he can accomplish without Rodgers. For the sake of argument, let’s say that Jordan Love is the quarterback for the Packers in 2022 — which I don’t think will happen. Adams will likely put up his fourth single digit receiving touchdown season of his career and will have a hard time cracking 1,000 yards.
Rodgers knows where Adams is going to be and Adams knows where Rodgers wants to throw it. In the last three years, Adams has received 28 percent of Green Bay’s targets and 30 percent of the team’s receiving touchdowns.
Rodgers has often been criticized for locking on to one guy — and he did that in the NFC Divisional Playoff loss to San Francisco. But if Rodgers is going to throw to just one guy, wouldn’t you rather have it be Adams?
Which is why the Packers need to get a deal done before they can even think about placing a franchise tag on the Packers’ No. 2 receiver in franchise history behind Don Hutson.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on “Clubhouse Live” and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn