Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams Expected to be at Mini-Camp
By Paul Bretl
It still remains a mystery as to whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be at Green Bay Packers mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday — although for what it’s worth, my guess is that he won’t be — but one star player that we no longer have to worry about is Davante Adams, who according to Ian Rapoport, will be in attendance along with the rest of the receiving corps.
While the status of #Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is in doubt for the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, it sounds like that’ll be the only issue to be resolved. His WRs who did not show for OTAs, including star Davante Adams, are either in town or expected in town.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 7, 2021
Adams was one of several receivers who missed voluntary OTAs — Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Devin Funchess, and Equanimeous St. Brown were the others — and he also missed out on a $500,000 workout bonus in the process. But while he was absent from the on-the-field portion, we did learn from receivers coach Jason Vrable that Adams had been participating in the virtual activities the prior weeks.
"“Up until two weeks ago, we were doing virtual and they were doing everything, showing up for every meeting,” Vrable said via Sports Illustrated. “I love all those guys. They’re great men and great players. Obviously, I want them here because, both on and off the field, they make us better.”"
As I wrote recently, despite the noise from the outside, Adams potentially missing mini-camp was likely never going to be about Rodgers, but rather his own contract situation.
This is the final year of Adams’ deal, and he is in line for a well-deserved payday, whether that he with the Green Bay Packers or if he hits free agency next offseason. As the 18th highest-paid receiver currently by average annual value, according to Spotrac, Adams’ absence from mini-camp could have signified the beginning of a holdout and demands for a new contract that paid him accordingly.
However, all of that is now a moot point as Adams is expected to be in attendance at Green Bay Packers mini-camp.
Where the two sides stand at the moment in contract negotiations remains an unknown as we haven’t heard much about a Davante Adams extension this offseason—although, as Brian Gutekunst has told us before, these extensions take time.
The obvious benefit of retaining Adams beyond 2021 is that it keeps one of the league’s top receivers in Green Bay, but it will also provide some much-needed cap relief in 2021 as Adams comes with a massive $16.7 million cap hit this season, according to Over the Cap.
I’ll also venture to say that extending Adams is a step in the right direction when it comes to getting back into the good graces of Rodgers.
How all of that plays out still remains an unknown, but some good news at the moment is that we do know that Adams will be at Green Bay Packers mini-camp. So now, all eyes remain on Aaron Rodgers.