Aaron Rodgers needs a new No. 1 wide receiver after the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. How will they replace him?
Davante Adams told the Green Bay Packers he wouldn’t play on a franchise tag, and he won’t. The Packers traded Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first-round pick (No. 22 overall) and a second-round pick (No. 53) in the 2022 NFL Draft. The trade removed a player many dubbed the best wide receiver in football.
There are a few reasons including his historic 2021 season where he became the first player with three seasons with at least 110 catches, 1,350 receiving yards, and 11 or more receiving touchdowns — there’s more. He’s also the sixth player in NFL history with 120 or more catches, 1,500 yards, and 11 or more touchdown catches in the same season. Adams bid the Packers fans farewell, how do you replace him?
There’s no simple answer. Randall Cobb is the veteran leader of the wide receiver room. Maybe they can get Marquez Valdes-Scantling to resign The other notable males are Amari Rodgers, a young, raw, yards after catch type of player, and Allen Lazard, the big bodies boundary wideout.
Sure, Rodgers can go into the 2022 NFL Season with the above-mentioned wideouts and make them better — that won’t be enough.
They need to replace Adams and for Rodgers, a weapon worthy of his MVP status. It’s impossible to replace what Adams brought to the table. With draft picks and free agents on the market—they have options. They can go after Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, or Will Fuller, but there’s another free-agent wideout who should be at the top of the list.
Green Bay Packers No. 5 Best option to replace Davante Adams: Odell Beckham Jr
This is more of a stash pick, given the recent injury suffered by Odell Beckham. The former first-round wide receiver found new life in Los Angeles. He showed off what he did best in terms of athletic boundary catches.
The 29-year-old wideout is a downfield threat in terms of being able to win with contested catches. He showed flashes of greatness before getting hurt, unlike some of the other wideouts on the free-agent market. The Packers could bring Beckham in with another wideout and bring him along late in the season.
Beckham will come in as a highly motivated player. The Super Bowl champ is looking to regain the status he was starting to build before the injury. A torn ACL isn’t something to sneeze at. However, a motivated OBJ isn’t a player I’d want to bet against. If he can come back late in the season, the Packers will have a dominant wideout for the playoffs.