Letting star wide receiver Davante Adams depart from Green Bay after eight elite seasons was one of the most difficult decisions the Packers' front office has made in recent history. There's a strong argument to be made that it was an even tougher call than saying goodbye to Aaron Rodgers himself.
But Hindsight is 20/20. While the Packers' brass probably feels at peace with how things turned out, it's become clear they could've handled Adams' contract negotiations better. This wasn't a random receiver seeking an overpay — it's one of the best receivers in the sport, who finished his Packers tenure fourth in career receiving yards and first in receptions per game for the franchise. He was clearly one of the best players to wear green and gold, and the stats reflected his expected payday.
"I didn't hear anything after [the initial conversation]," Adams said. "There was no follow-up. There wasn’t a lot of talks going on. I didn’t know — there was nothing for almost two months, and I'm thinking, 'Okay, well I must just be a regular dude to them, so I'm about to go...
"I don’t know if they was calling my bluff, or just, you know, whatever the idea was, but it just wasn’t working for me. So I just had to plug my ears before I heard a number that made my a** want to stay."
Now that they've had some time to reflect on that decision, it seems as if the Packers have learned a grueling lesson about navigating free agency in the modern NFL landscape.
Through the Davante Adams saga, the Packers learned not to cheap out at the wide receiver position.
This summer was a complete turnaround from what we saw during the Davante Adams saga. Green Bay was proactive in making sure their wide receivers, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, got their respective paydays on long-term extensions that reflected their market value. Now, they don't have to worry about carrying the negotiations into the season or making either player feel like they're being taken advantage of.
The NFL can be a cold place, where players get unceremoniously cut at the drop of a hat. But it doesn't have to be that way, as the Packers learned the hard way. Maintaining relationships and supporting players who give everything to the franchise they play for is usually worth the cost.
Frankly, Adams had proven far more as a member of the Packers than either Watson or Reed at this point in their careers. There have certainly been some 'what if' scenarios swirling around Packers fans' heads in recent years, imagining Davante Adams lining up during a few key moments over the last four years. He would've solved a lot of their problems as one of the most reliable receivers of the 21st century for a young team that could always use a steady hand.
Nonetheless, Davante and Green Bay have both evolved into new versions of themselves over the last few years. They'll always hold a special place in each other's hearts.
Add us as a preferred source on Google