Packers: Four free agents who won’t be back in 2022

Davante Adams

Davante Adams wants to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, and he deserves it. Unfortunately for the Packers, they might not be able to afford that. Now, they could make it happen by creating cap space and by the way they structure the deal, but it’s perhaps more fitting to say they won’t be willing to make it happen.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported in the summer that the Packers “don’t want to recognize DeAndre Hopkins’ deal when considering Adams'”. Hopkins is the highest-paid receiver in the league, earning an average of $27.25 million per year, according to Spotrac.

That’s significantly higher than the second-highest contract at the position, with Julio Jones making an average of $22 million per year.

For Adams to return to Green Bay, something has to give. Either Adams would need to be willing to lower his salary expectations, or the Packers would have to be willing to make Adams the highest-paid receiver in football.

This doesn’t seem all that likely right now. And if Aaron Rodgers is traded away, it’s possible the Packers could start fresh with a new QB-WR combination in 2022. We’ll see.

The longer it goes on, the harder it will be for the Packers to re-sign their All-Pro wide receiver.