Four players Packers could trade in 2022 offseason

Davante Adams

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the expectation is that the Packers will “place a franchise tag on Adams and then work toward a potential new deal”. That’s one way to ensure Adams doesn’t sign elsewhere in free agency, but it’s far from ideal.

Spotrac projects the wide receiver franchise tag will cost $18.5 million next season, a huge cap hit to take on for a team already way over the cap.

That cap hit could be temporary if the Packers are able to negotiate a long-term extension for Adams, but what if Rodgers leaves? Would this change Green Bay’s thinking at all? Maybe it would, maybe not. But perhaps the Packers would explore the possibility of tagging Adams and then trading him.

Doing so could potentially bring back a first-round pick in a trade, whereas simply letting him walk in free agency would at best bring back a 2023 third-round compensatory pick.

If Brian Gutekunst decided to truly go into rebuild mode, this would be the approach to take. Trade Rodgers for multiple picks and aim to bring back a first-rounder at minimum for Adams. That would create a strong foundation to rebuild the roster.

The trading team would need to work on a long-term extension with Adams then make the deal. There should be plenty of interested teams if the Packers decide to go this route.