Put Faith And Trust In Someone Else
The Packers could get their next No. 1 wide receiver from the Seattle Seahawks.
Did that just happen?
Did Davante Adams just leave the Green Bay Packers for the Las Vegas Raiders?
I know that this was in the works for several days and I know that Aaron Rodgers recently signed a contract that includes $150.6 million in guaranteed money.
But no matter how you slice it, the best receiver in the game right now getting traded was a huge surprise. And to make matters worse, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rappoport, the Packers offered more money than the Raiders, but Adams is fulfilling a lifelong dream to play with the Raiders.
That is even more mind numbing. Why would you not want to play with someone that you obviously have a superior connection with — Adams has been targeted 26 percent of the time in the last five seasons — and can build an even stronger legacy than the one that you already have?
The good news is that the Packers have more draft capital, netting a first rounder and second roudner in 2022. Green Bay now has the 22nd and 28th overall picks and judging by how general manager Brian Gutekunst has been “all-in” this offseason, he is going to inspect every opportunity.
The best one is D.K. Metcalf. After Seattle traded Russell Wilson, they aren’t making it a secret that they are rebuilding. Seattle’s philosophy is to build through the draft and now the Packers have plenty of roster ammunition.
Metcalf, 24, has seen his touchdown catches go up each season — from seven his rookie season in 2019, 10 in 2020 and 12 in 2021. Metcalf is a physical mismatch that offers plenty of problems for secondaries. He is in the final year of his rookie deal that has a cap hit of $4.3 million.
The Packers could send the 28th overall pick (first round) and the 132nd overall pick (fourth round) to Seattle for Metcalf. That way the Packers could still draft a wideout with the 22nd pick like Penn State’s Jahan Dotson.
Adams didn’t want to be in Green Bay anymore. So the best receiver in the game has opted to play with a lesser quarterback in a division that will require an act of God just to make the playoffs.
Will this hurt the offense? Sure, in the short term it will. But in the long term, it will make the offense better. Rodgers is 10-1 without Adams, mainly because it has forced him to spread the ball around and rely on others.
This will do the same thing. When Adams is on the field, he expects to get it just about every time — which is a respect that he has earned with exceptional route running and some of the best hands in the game. The best thing about Adams is how far he has come. Remember his first two seasons in Green Bay? He had catch percentages of 53 and 57 percent and many folks wanted him to be run out of town.
But the Packers put their faith and trust in him and Adams is now the No. 2 Packers wideout in franchise history.
Now Rodgers needs to put his faith and trust in someone else.