Davante Adams' Situation Shows How Green Bay Values Wide Receivers

Since the Green Bay Packers traded star wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, there has been much discussion of the potential what-ifs.

Could diplomacy have won the day and kept Adams in Green and Gold? Does Adams regret his decision to go to Vegas now that his college quarterback Derek Carr plays in New Orleans? Was the new Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo trying to kill him with those errant throws that Adams mentioned in the new Receiver docuseries? Could Adams eventually return to Green Bay and finish his career where it started? Did Adams' absence help or harm Jordan Love's growth in his first year as a starter?

We'll never know the true answer to most of these questions, but we did gain some insight into how Adams felt about his departure from Wisconsin.

On Keyshawn Johnson's All Facts No Breaks

Historically, the Packers would release a player a year early rather than hold on to a beloved player for too long. Early in his tenure, we saw Brian Gutekunst release or choose not to re-sign beloved former star players like Jordy Nelson, Clay Matthews, and Randall Cobb. That tendency likely led to Aaron Rodgers' belief that the Green Bay front office doesn't treat veteran players well on their way out.

The truth is that Gutekunst has usually been apt in his decision-making. Most long-term players he let go saw their careers take a downward spin or end outright. Football teams are built on people and culture, but the sport is ultimately a business, for better or worse.

But the situation with Adams was different. Adams was arguably the best receiver in the game at the time of his trade. Even with a poor supporting cast in Las Vegas, he's still one of the league's top receiving threats.

Yet, according to Adams, when he mentioned his high level of play and his multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons, the Packers lowballed him.

“I said pay me right now, and I'm not going to even consider that Aaron may be out of here," he said on Keyshawn Johnson's podcast. "Let's do it now, and if it's up to J Love when Aaron is out of here, then we're going to rock on ... They said, 'OK, we'll give you 17 a year' ... click, nothing to talk about. I don't know if you know what the market looks like or if you've been asleep for the last five years, but there's nothing to talk about."

It was reported later that the Packers did come back with a better offer that would have made Adams one of the league's highest-paid wide receivers. But by then, Adams was ready for the change of scenery.

Third contracts are a rarity in Green Bay, even for players still in their prime like Adams. Still, Green Bay's front office has shown a particular unwillingness to spend significant resources on a single wide receiver.

When the time came, the Packers were unwilling to pay their WR2s beyond Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Allen Lazard. They allowed Valdes-Scantling and Lazard to walk and accept deals elsewhere while the Packers filled their spots with cheap veterans (remember the Sammy Watkins “era”?) or rookies. MVS had some success with the Kansas City Chiefs and was instrumental in their Super Bowl victories. However, Lazard's contact has thus far been disastrous for the New York Jets.

We all know the meme about the Packers not drafting a wide receiver in the first round. Sure, they've spent significant capital on receivers on Day 2 and found great success. Still, it adds another layer to show how they feel about that position.

It may not seem like it, but Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are quickly approaching when they'll negotiate for an extension in Green Bay because the Packers took them in 2022. Watson and Doubs have shown some good things in the league but haven't graduated into household names.

Meanwhile, many young wide receivers are making big names for themselves early and demanding big contracts or trades. It's easier than ever to draft an NFL-ready wide receiver but harder than ever to keep them paid and happy on the roster after a few years.

The Packers had one of the league's best offenses last year with nothing but unproven rookie and second-year receivers. They've shown they can build through initial talents and volume and pivot the room if needed.

Watson or Doubs might break out in 2024 and make a case for a megadeal. But based on how we've seen Gutekunst and Russ Ball operate, they may not get one in Green Bay. Unless they're willing to take a hometown discount, they might price themselves out of the Packers' preferred price range with any sort of success. And the chances of both being re-signed feel low.

Jordan Love should receive his megadeal any day now. Even with a rising cap, that means less money to spend on perceived luxuries like WRs. If the team didn't view Adams as a worthy investment, even knowing a first-year starting quarterback would have loved having him as a target, it's hard to see them paying any receiver a market-altering deal.

Adams probably won't return to Green Bay, even if we'd love to see a comeback. For all speculation, he's a Raider, and his career path has been altered. But what we can learn from his fallout with the Packers and the team's other moves is how the team views the position and might move forward.