Aaron Rodgers & Davante Adams Gearing Up for “Last Dance” with Packers?

Veterans are expected to report to the first day of Green Bay Packers training camp on Tuesday, July 27th, and the first practice will take place the following day. Yet here we are, just a few days away now, and we have no idea whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be in attendance–or if he doesn’t show up right away, when will he?

Throughout this entire offseason, Rodgers has been very quiet, and when he has been in the public spotlight, he’s been very careful about the words that he chooses. To steal a phrase from Rodgers, his silence has created a “beautiful mystery” around his status this season.

To make matters worse for Packers fans, it was reported on Friday by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that the team and Davante Adams have “broken off” contract extension talks, with it sounding like Green Bay being unwilling — or perhaps more likely, unable to — make Adams the highest-paid receiver in football.

Although during OTAs, Adams did tell reporters that he would be at training camp even without a new deal — so I would expect him to be in attendance next week — but knowing that this could be his final season in Titletown creates an uneasy feeling for many fans.

All of a sudden, after a 26-6 run during the regular season the last two years along with two trips to the NFC Championship Game, there is a lot of unknowns surrounding the future of this Green Bay Packers team. While we don’t know what will happen with Rodgers and Adams in 2022 and beyond, they may have given us a little insight into the 2021 season.

These photos are of course a reference to ESPN’s Last Dance documentary on the Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls, which included a storyline on Jordan’s issues with management, particularly GM Jerry Krause.

So what does this mean? Something? Nothing at all? If this is in fact, Rodgers and Adams signifying that 2021 will be their final run with the Green Bay Packers, at least when discussing Rodgers, that is likely the best-case scenario for fans.

While personally Rodgers hasn’t come out and said that he doesn’t want to be a part of this organization anymore, his silence speaks volumes. And although we don’t know the full details on the contract offer, Rodgers did turn down a two-year extension earlier this offseason.

Despite Green Bay failing to reach the Super Bowl the last two years and what you may hear from the national media, with Rodgers at the helm, this is a Super Bowl-caliber roster filled with weapons and loaded with talent on the defensive side of the ball. However, once again, in 2022, the Packers will be under a cap crunch, and it is very likely that big changes are coming–this is what going “all-in” looks like.

Having Rodgers back also gives Jordan Love another much-needed year as a backup before having to take over as the team’s starting quarterback. While there have been dozens of scenarios thrown around in regards to how this saga ends, Green Bay has made it crystal clear that they are unwilling to trade Rodgers at this time, which means him playing the 2021 season with the Packers and then being traded in 2022 was always the most likely scenario.

Who knows, I could very well be wrong, but it would appear that Rodgers has no intentions of playing several more years with Green Bay. And if that’s the case, then having him back for what hopefully becomes one more Super Bowl run is really all we could ask for. Let’s just hope this story has a happy ending.

When it comes to Adams’ future, I’m not so quick to assume that Green Bay still won’t re-sign him just because contract negotiations have been “broken off.” We heard the same thing last season with Aaron Jones, and historically, the Packers prioritize re-signing their own stars. There is still a long ways to go before we reach free agency in 2022, and just because the two sides have halted negotiations for now, doesn’t mean they won’t resume.

As I mentioned above, we don’t really know what these photos from Rodgers and Adams mean. Everything I’ve just discussed is pure speculation on my part, although I believe there is some validity to it. Ultimately, we will find out Tuesday when we see whether or not Rodgers is in attendance but if this is in fact his “Last Dance” with the Green Bay Packers, be sure to enjoy every moment because this team should be really good, and we don’t know what the future holds.