The deadline for using the franchise tag arrives on Tuesday afternoon, and the Green Bay Packers are still expected to use the tag on All-Pro receiver Davante Adams.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, the Packers and Adams have talked about a new contract but haven’t made “much progress,” and the team isn’t going to let him get to free agency even if Aaron Rodgers decides he wants to depart Green Bay.
So, only two outcomes exist in this scenario: the Packers and Adams come to an agreement on a new, long-term deal, or the Packers use the franchise tag as a last resort to keep him out of free agency.
If the tag was used, the Packers would extend their negotiating window with Adams to mid-July, buying valuable time on getting a lucrative extension done with one of the best playmakers in football. But Adams would also immediately count a little over $20.1 million on the salary cap, complicating the Packers’ path to getting under the cap by the start of the new league year on March 16.
The team has ways of trimming salary and making it all work even if Adams’ cap number is over $20 million to start 2022.
The tag also gives the Packers an opportunity to tag-and-trade, maximizing compensation if Adams wants out or is no longer part of the team’s long-term plans.
The alternate scenario is not using the tag and risking Adams getting to free agency. If he signed with a new team, the most the Packers would get back as compensation is a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
It’s possible that the Packers’ decision on Adams will affect what Rodgers wants to do moving forward. Keeping the All-Pro receiver is almost certainly a part of getting Rodgers back in 2022, but what if Rodgers doesn’t want Adams to get the tag?
This delicate situation will finally get a resolution in a few short days.