Aaron Rodgers was quick to take to Twitter to quibble with details regarding his return to the Packers. He has been silent, so far, regarding the departure of his most important teammate, receiver Davante Adams.

In the wake of the trade, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported that Rodgers “was aware of the developments with Adams as they unfolded in recent days.”

It would be very interesting to know whether Rodgers knew about any of this before putting pen to paper on Monday for his new contract, and whether and to what extent Aaron Rodgers got involved in trying to keep Adams in Green Bay.

If Rodgers had known Adams would be leaving, would that have changed the quarterback’s mind? If Rodgers personally appealed to Adams to stay, why did Adams decline to stick around?

Adams’s agents went on record to say that the Packers offered more money than the Raiders offered Adams, but that it was the player’s lifelong dream to play for the Raiders. They did not comment on whether the Raiders’ offer includes fully guaranteed money beyond the first year of the deal (it likely did) or whether the Packers’ offer didn’t include fully guaranteed money beyond the first year of the deal (it likely didn’t). They also did not comment on whether Adams would have accepted the offer from the Packers if it had come weeks or months earlier.

Also, if it truly were Adams’s lifelong dream to play for the Raiders, why did Adams sign a new contract four years ago before the Packers had to decide whether to use the franchise tag on him? If they hadn’t tagged Adams in early 2018, he could have signed with the Raiders then. If they had, he could have tried to force his way out four years ago, the same way he did now. (Before you scoff and say it wouldn’t have worked then, it worked now.)

There’s much more to this one than has surfaced. Tom Brady has successfully recruited and persuaded several key players to stay in Tampa. Aaron Rodgers either didn’t try or he spectacularly failed to keep the best player not named Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Would Adams leaving have been enough to make Rodgers want out, too? Did Rodgers incorrectly presume that, if he returns, Adams would stay?

I raise these questions for a few simple reasons. There’s a chance that Adams preferred reuniting with college teammate Derek Carr than staying with his eight-year NFL teammate. There’s a chance that Rodgers had no idea that Adams would ever feel that way. And so there’s a chance that, in the aftermath of Thursday’s news, Rodgers is dealing with one of the biggest and most unexpected slaps in the face that he ever has endured.

Continue Reading @ Mike Florio 

Mike Florio wrote:

Mike Florio wrote:
Aaron Rodgers was quick to take to Twitter to quibble with details regarding his return to the Packers. He has been silent, so far, regarding the departure of his most important teammate, receiver Davante Adams.

In the wake of the trade, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported that Rodgers “was aware of the developments with Adams as they unfolded in recent days.”

It would be very interesting to know whether Rodgers knew about any of this before putting pen to paper on Monday for his new contract, and whether and to what extent Aaron Rodgers got involved in trying to keep Adams in Green Bay.

If Rodgers had known Adams would be leaving, would that have changed the quarterback’s mind? If Rodgers personally appealed to Adams to stay, why did Adams decline to stick around?

Adams’s agents went on record to say that the Packers offered more money than the Raiders offered Adams, but that it was the player’s lifelong dream to play for the Raiders. They did not comment on whether the Raiders’ offer includes fully guaranteed money beyond the first year of the deal (it likely did) or whether the Packers’ offer didn’t include fully guaranteed money beyond the first year of the deal (it likely didn’t). They also did not comment on whether Adams would have accepted the offer from the Packers if it had come weeks or months earlier.

Also, if it truly were Adams’s lifelong dream to play for the Raiders, why did Adams sign a new contract four years ago before the Packers had to decide whether to use the franchise tag on him? If they hadn’t tagged Adams in early 2018, he could have signed with the Raiders then. If they had, he could have tried to force his way out four years ago, the same way he did now. (Before you scoff and say it wouldn’t have worked then, it worked now.)

There’s much more to this one than has surfaced. Tom Brady has successfully recruited and persuaded several key players to stay in Tampa. Aaron Rodgers either didn’t try or he spectacularly failed to keep the best player not named Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Would Adams leaving have been enough to make Rodgers want out, too? Did Rodgers incorrectly presume that, if he returns, Adams would stay?

I raise these questions for a few simple reasons. There’s a chance that Adams preferred reuniting with college teammate Derek Carr than staying with his eight-year NFL teammate. There’s a chance that Rodgers had no idea that Adams would ever feel that way. And so there’s a chance that, in the aftermath of Thursday’s news, Rodgers is dealing with one of the biggest and most unexpected slaps in the face that he ever has endured.

Originally Posted by: MintBaconDrivel 

Florio again proves what complete ass-wipe he is. He exclusive takes the story from a negative vein. He presupposes AR12 did not know about DA17's desires, goals, etc., even though they had been teammates for a long time. His position is ludicrous. Further, if you suppose DA17 did NOT tell AR12 his plans/desires, does that make AR12 a bad guy, or does it make DA17 to be a douche?

It is far more likely that AR12 knew about DA17's situation and was waiting to put the final touches on his deal to see if/how the Packers would structure DA17's deal.

Retrospectively, it would appear all the 'last dance' stuff was DA17's posture far more than AR12.

But to the main point Florio is a dirty ass-wipe, Packer-hater, and muck-racker. Florio would have you believe AR12 is responsible for Covid, the Russian Invasion, and acne. I will not give Florio the pleasure of a click and forego reading the rest of the story.

Originally Posted by: Martha Careful 

Why the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Raiders and what happens next in Green Bay

The Packers and Raiders sent shockwaves through the NFL on Thursday night, agreeing to a deal that will send All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders for Las Vegas’ first- and second-round picks (Nos. 22 and 53) in this year’s draft, a source told The Athletic.

NFL Network reported that the Raiders and Adams have also agreed to terms on a five-year, $141.25 million contract ($28.5 million per year). According to sources, the Packers were willing to pay Adams as much, if not more, than the Raiders paid him. Money and structure of the contract were not considered the issue. Ultimately, the move came down to Adams wanting to play with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, one of his best friends and his college quarterback at Fresno State.

According to sources, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was aware of Adams’ disconnect with the team. One source said Rodgers knew this was coming even before he signed his new contract with Green Bay, though another source close to the situation added that Rodgers still believed Adams would remain a Packer in 2022. After all, Adams said himself he wanted to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, and sources say the Packers were willing to exceed DeAndre Hopkins’ $27.25 million average annual salary to do that.

Adams and his agent, Frank Bauer, cut off extension talks with the Packers before training camp last year because the Packers, in the eyes of Adams’ camp, were unwilling to make Adams the highest-paid receiver in the league at the time. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, however, said Adams deserved to be the highest-paid wideout in the NFL. When asked how their definitions of “highest paid” differed, Gutekunst declined to elaborate.

One source said the Packers were unwilling to recognize Hopkins’ $27.25 million average annual salary as legitimate in terms of being the highest average annual value among wide receivers, likely because his average annual salary could be seen as inflated because of the years and salary tacked on to his deal by the Cardinals when he was traded from the Texans.

Adams said during training camp last year that he wouldn’t accept a deal that wouldn’t make him the highest-paid wideout in the NFL, even if it meant he got to stay with Rodgers in Green Bay.

“No, that’s not gonna happen,” he said in July. “You know, I don’t want to. It’s not about being a baby, but what other profession do you take less than what you have earned? That’s not how it goes. The fans may see it different in certain ways, and I’m sure there’s a lot of fans that see it the same way that myself, my family, my agent and most of the league sees it. I’m not a baby, so I’m not going to not show up, and I’m not complaining about it.”

Even without an extension before last season, Adams showed up at all three days of mandatory minicamp and every day of training camp. He was named a first-team All-Pro for the second consecutive season, and this past season, he was a unanimous selection to the first team among the 50 voters. Evidently, his frustration with some in the building had not subsided this offseason, either, which led to the trade.

It remains unclear how much longer Rodgers will play for the Packers even after he signed his new contract, whether it’s for one year, two years or three.

As it stands, Rodgers’ top three wide receivers for 2022 are Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers. The Packers will need to either sign a free-agent wide receiver or draft one early next month. They own two first-round picks (Nos. 22 and 28) and two second-round picks (Nos. 53 and 59).

The top remaining free-agent wide receivers, according to The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia, include: Odell Beckham Jr. (coming off a torn ACL in the Super Bowl), Jarvis Landry, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (who spent the last four years with the Packers), Julio Jones and A.J. Green.

Wide receivers who could be available late in the first round of the draft include Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. The Packers haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since taking Florida State’s Javon Walker at No. 20 in 2002, though they drafted Adams, Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Greg Jennings in the second round and James Jones in the third.

Adams’ departure leaves a seismic void in Green Bay’s offense. Since 2016, no wide receiver in the league has tallied more catches, receiving yards or touchdown catches than Adams. The Packers drafted him in the second round in 2014 and watched him become arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL over the last several years, a flawless route runner with impeccable hands who went from a second-year wideout screaming that he hated football because of how poorly he was playing to a likely future Hall of Famer. Over the past two seasons, Adams caught 238 passes for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns in 30 regular-season games.

Now Adams reunites with Carr, who has publicly campaigned for Adams to come to Las Vegas in the past year. The two helped each other become second-round draft picks in 2014, Carr to the Raiders and Adams to the Packers, after Adams caught 24 touchdowns in their final season together in college. They’ve remained close friends, and Carr spoke highly of Adams when speaking to The Athletic last season.

“When he gets out wide or he lines up in the slot, the defender needs to know (he’s) guarding a true savage,” Carr said.

While Adams is off to what he sees as greener pastures closer to his home in the Bay Area, the Packers are left to compensate for losing one of the best players in football. They’ll return Rodgers at quarterback and arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. They also return five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins, who’s still rehabbing a season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 11 last season, and promising young offensive linemen Jon Runyan Jr., Josh Myers, Royce Newman and Yosh Nijman.

Where the most uncertainty lies, however, is at the pass-catcher positions. The Packers currently have an uninspiring wide receiver corps, though that group could change in the coming days or next month in the draft. They also don’t have a proven pass-catching tight end, with only Marcedes Lewis, Dominique Dafney, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis under contract. Robert Tonyan, the 2017 undrafted free agent who tied the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce for the NFL lead among tight ends in 2020 with 11 touchdown catches, tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of Green Bay’s Week 8 win in Arizona last season and is still on the open market.

Don’t be surprised if the Packers use the $20.12 million in cap savings — that was the cost to franchise-tag Adams — to re-sign cornerback Rasul Douglas. If it’s any silver lining, Green Bay could feature a secondary of Douglas, 2020 All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander, promising second-year corner Eric Stokes and safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr. in 2022. Add that to first-team All-Pro inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who the Packers re-signed earlier this week, outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and the Packers might be a team relying more on a stout run game and defense than the aerial attack they’ve been known to flaunt with Rodgers as their quarterback for the last decade and a half.

While on the surface it may seem that losing arguably the game’s best wide receiver could have easily been avoided by the Packers, it also seems he just wanted to play with his college quarterback in a change of scenery.

The Packers now face the impossible task of filling the void left by someone of Adams’ talent, perhaps shifting their entire identity in order to remain contenders.

https://theathletic.com/3193246/2022/03/18/why-the-packers-traded-davante-adams-to-the-raiders-and-what-happens-next-in-green-bay 

Matt (Blocked Me) Schneidman wrote:

Retrospectively, it would appear all the 'last dance' stuff was DA17's posture far more than AR12.

Originally Posted by: Martha Careful