Wow! March Madness is supposed to refer to the NCAA Tournament. I guess not. In somewhat of a stunner, the Green Bay Packers sent a franchise legend in All-Pro WR Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for both a first- and second-round pick in next month’s draft.
Regardless of how it happened, the Packers have to fill the void left by the best WR in the game and arguably the best WR in the franchise’s history. Most fans might be worried. They could be wondering how this team can win a Super Bowl without No. 17. Let me clue you in on a little secret.
The Green Bay Packers have a plan, and I don’t think people quite understand it.
First off, let’s remember something important. This is Aaron Rodgers’ team. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he knew Adams wasn’t going to be there anymore and still signed his extension.
He knows how to carry the team on his shoulders if need be. Before Adams was a five-time Pro Bowler, Rodgers ran an offense that involved sharing the ball with guys named Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb. No. 12’s play will not decline one bit. Also, it is worth mentioning that under HC Matt LaFleur, the Packers were 7-0 without Davante Adams. That is not a coincidence.
I am not at all suggesting that Green Bay is in a better place without Adams. However, consider this. Remember in 2019 when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Finals? They had Kawhi Leonard will them there. But before they were able win it all, they had to acquire Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs.
Do you know who they had to give up in order to get him? A beloved player and All-Star in Demar DeRozan. Now, there is no Kawhi Leonard for Green Bay yet. They had to get rid of their version of DeRozan in this scenario. All Packers fans absolutely love Davante Adams. He is one of the greatest Packers of all time. It hurts so much to see him go. It will take time for fans and members of the Packers alike to get over his loss.
But after Adams’ $20 million deal clears the books, Green Bay will have cap space and four top-60 draft picks in next month’s draft.
So how can Green Bay replace him with those assets?
First off, the Packers and standout CB Rasul Douglas are expected to agree on a new contract that will keep him in Green Bay, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini. That’s good news.
Also, Green Bay needs to figure out the TE position. Will Robert Tonyan be back? Until we learn the details of the Douglas deal and if Tonyan is back, we can only guess on how they can recreate Adams’ production.
A plausible option for the Packers is to try to use the “Moneyball” strategy. Recreate Adams’ production with a variety of players on less expensive deals.
Randall Cobb took a paycut. Allen Lazard is back on a one-year restricted free agent deal worth about $4 million. Second-year WR Amari Rodgers is still on his rookie deal. But HC Matt LaFleur, GM Brian Gutekunst, and the entire state of Wisconsin knows that this team cannot win a Super Bowl without more talent and ability.
Where can they look to acquire pieces?
There are still plenty of quality free-agent receivers. Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, Will Fuller, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Odell Beckham Jr. and someone who Packers fans know a lot about, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, are all quality options for Green Bay.
Jones played for LaFleur in Atlanta from 2015-2016 when LaFleur was the QB coach of the best offense in the NFL. Fuller played for LaFleur at Notre Dame in 2014 when the Packers HC was the QB coach in South Bend.
Valdes-Scantling is the most familiar with the Packers’ scheme seeing as he has played there for all four of his NFL seasons. Beckham reportedly chose the Super Bowl-champion LA Rams over the Packers this past season after he was released by Cleveland. Maybe he would like to go catch passes from Aaron Rodgers this time around. Maybe he would like to team up in Green Bay with his best friend in five-time Pro Bowl WR Jarvis Landry.
Smith-Schuster is another younger, intriguing option. Remember, Green Bay also has those new draft picks from Las Vegas. They could use those picks as trade chips.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rams WR Robert Woods is a trade candidate after Los Angeles signed Pro Bowl WR Allen Robinson.
Seahawks WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett could be trade candidates after Seattle traded away QB Russell Wilson. Green Bay has plenty of options with their new picks and new cap space available.
Gutekunst and LaFleur have both acknowledged that they are not going into a rebuild. They have the greatest thrower of the football on their team. They have a dynamic RB duo. Their offensive line is super deep every single season.
The defense is a complete, top-10 unit and will take yet another step this season under DC Joe Barry. The special teams will be much improved with the hiring of a 40-year veteran in Rich Bisaccia and with Thursday’s under-the-radar signing of an experienced cold-weather punter in Pat O’Donnell.
All they need is a few more experienced and established pass-catchers. That’s the key right there. Signing veterans would be a better option for a win-now team than drafting rookies, who would take longer to get on the same page with a Hall-of-Fame QB. Green Bay needs to dip into their savings and go grab one or two of those free-agent receivers. If they can achieve that, a trip to Arizona next February would be very realistic.
Not many people, whether they are part of the NFL or are just fans, can seem to understand what Green Bay is doing right now. What if the Packers traded the best receiver in the game in order to create more cap space to sign free agents can make this team deeper?
Let us not forget that in back-to-back-to-back seasons, the Packers reached the NFC Championship and/or had the No. 1 seed but couldn’t get past great defenses in the postseason.
Everyone knew the ball was going to Adams. Once they shut him down, they shut Green Bay’s offense down. Imagine if Green Bay were to sign a Julio Jones and trade for a Robert Woods. Both of those players have experience playing under LaFleur in Atlanta and in LA. A receiving corps of Jones, Woods, Allen Lazard, and Randall Cobb doesn’t sound half-bad. In fact, it sounds deeper.
Jones and Woods are just part of one example. Gutekunst and the Green Bay front office have definitely made decisions that make people question whether they are fit for their jobs. The Jordan Love draft pick comes to mind. But this 2019 Toronto Raptors-esque move could very well end up in a deeper, better Packers offense.
Adams is a Packers legend. Nothing will ever change that. His connection with Rodgers was the best in the NFL over the last decade and arguably the best in Green Bay’s history. But Green Bay may have just pulled off one of the quietly great moves in their history if they can add some experienced veterans in the WR room, who will help Rodgers, this offense and this entire franchise reach an entirely new, Super Bowl-esque gear.
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