The Green Bay Packers may decide to tag and trade star wide receiver Davante Adams in the 2022 offseason. If they do, which destinations are the best?
There could be some significant change brewing for the Green Bay Packers and star wide receiver Davante Adams in the 2022 offseason.
Adams has been arguably the best wide receiver in the entire NFL over the past handful of seasons with quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing at an MVP level.
Despite the fact that the Packers have not exactly had outstanding alternative options at the receiver position, Adams continues to get open. He continues to make plays. He continues to dominate.
The Packers literally can’t afford Adams as things stand today. They are over $46 million in the hole to open the 2022 offseason but teams can often find their way out of situations like that with relative ease. Unfortunately for the Packers, getting out of that hole could require major sacrifice.
The team’s best bet is going to be franchise tagging Davante Adams and seeing what happens after that. Will Adams being under contract be enough to get Aaron Rodgers to stick around? Will other players move their money around? Which players will be salary cap casualties?
Those are all going to be fascinating questions to see answered, but you can bet that Aaron Rodgers’ situation will have a huge impact on what the Packers do with Adams.
They can’t let him just walk in free agency, though. They need to get some value in return, and in that case, they sort of need to let Adams approach this offseason like a free agent, allowing him to pick his team so the Packers can also get some compensation.
Which teams might be the best in the event that the Packers decide to tag and trade Davante Adams? Let’s look at five options.
Davante Adams trade option #1: Las Vegas Raiders
One of the options out there that can’t be ignored in any potential Davante Adams trade is the Las Vegas Raiders, and for a variety of reasons.
The Raiders have hired Josh McDaniels as their new head coach, and as of right now, the primary question is what McDaniels might do at the quarterback position.
Will he keep Derek Carr or will he decide to move on and go after someone more familiar to him like Jimmy Garoppolo, who will be available in a trade this offseason?
Instead of trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, how about re-signing Derek Carr to an extension and trading for his old college pal Davante Adams?
Adams and Carr were a dynamic duo once upon a time at Fresno State, and both Carr and Adams have even mentioned the possibility of playing together before…
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1418591250052177928
Davante Adams: "It would be a dream" to play with Derek Carr, "but I'm a Packer now"https://t.co/vmL5L3L6Wu pic.twitter.com/1GxPfkppZd
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 30, 2021
The Raiders are trying to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC West. They don’t really have the luxury of messing around and hoping things work out when they have the assets and resources to create their own destiny.
If it means giving Derek Carr $35 million a year and Davante Adams $30 million a year, it might be worth the risk.
The Raiders have to do anything they can to compete with Kansas City and this is the type of move that could push a team that showed amazing resilience in 2021 over the top.
Davante Adams tag and trade option #2: Philadelphia Eagles
Although I’m sure the Green Bay Packers would prefer not to trade Davante Adams to the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles simply have too many assets to ignore.
Armed with three first-round picks right in the middle of the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Eagles have ultimate flexibility and could make the Packers an enticing offer if they are trying to get a lot of picks for Adams right away.
I think at the very least, Adams would be worth the equivalent value of two first-round picks, and because the Eagles’ selections are in the teens, they could easily send two of those to the Packers for Adams and probably get the deal done.
If the Eagles are moving forward with Jalen Hurts as their quarterback for the time being, they are going to need to get him some additional weapons in the passing game.
With Dallas Goedert locked into a long-term deal and DeVonta Smith having a breakout rookie season, Adams could really be the missing piece for this passing attack.
Adding him to the mix could make the Eagles favorites in the NFC East but would the Packers really trade Adams within their own conference?
For the right price, probably.
Who knows…maybe the Eagles will make a compelling trade package not only for Adams but for Aaron Rodgers as well.
Davante Adams tag-and-trade option #3: Pittsburgh Steelers
Although the Steelers are much better known for their drafting and developing under Kevin Colbert, wouldn’t this be a heck of a move as Colbert transitions out of the GM role in Pittsburgh?
The perception of the Steelers is that they are not really the team that makes these types of bold trades, but is that really the case?
They made a big trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
They made a big move to go up and get Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft.
They have made other trades in recent years to acquire players like Joe Schobert and Ahkello Witherspoon.
The Steelers and GM Kevin Colbert might be more willing to make bold trades than we all think.
The big question here is — what are they going to do at the quarterback position?
You had better believe that Steelers fans are working on photoshopped images of Aaron Rodgers in a Steelers uniform, but should they also be doing the same for Davante Adams?
Maybe.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent in 2022 and while the Steelers obviously have guys like Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson under contract, can you imagine adding a player like Davante Adams into that mix?
This offense would be deadly for any type of quarterback coming in.
Davante Adams tag-and-trade option #4: Denver Broncos
One team that feels primed for an all-in pursuit of former Green Bay Packers is the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach, and they followed that up by hiring Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten as their new offensive coordinator.
Other former Packers coaches are likely still to follow Hackett and Outten to Denver, and we might see Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams in orange and blue, too.
If the Denver Broncos trade for Aaron Rodgers, it stands to reason that part of those discussions could be a tag and trade of Adams as well.
The Broncos could offer the Packers a player like Jerry Jeudy in return for Rodgers and Adams, of course along with a bounty of draft picks.
Just like the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos are trying to keep up with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in their own division. It’s not going to be an easy task, but adding players like Rodgers and Adams could certainly give the Broncos a window over those teams to get back to the playoffs and Super Bowl contention.
Davante Adams tag-and-trade option #5: Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have arguably been one of the most aggressive teams in the NFL over the past couple of seasons at pursuing upgrades to their roster via trade.
Last offseason, the Colts swung a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Carson Wentz. That deal cost them their first-round pick in 2022, but perhaps they could entice the Packers in a tag-and-trade for Davante Adams with a combination of their other picks in 2022, future picks, and perhaps a player.
General manager Chris Ballard made a bold trade in 2020 for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who has been a huge piece of that Colts defense, to no one’s surprise.
With the majority of their receivers up for free agency in 2022, the idea of pairing Davante Adams with their own young, budding star in Michael Pittman Jr. could be really appealing to the Colts.
After starting the season 9-6 with a virtual guaranteed shot of the playoffs, the Colts dropped their final two games of the 2021 season and missed the playoffs entirely.
That bitter taste is not going to sit well with Ballard and head coach Frank Reich. Trading for Adams would certainly signify that this team is not going to tolerate a late-season collapse like that.
The Colts don’t have a ton of NFL Draft assets that appeal this year, but with a combination of what they do have along with future capital, they could probably get something done.