Packers: What Davante Adams franchise tag means for salary cap

Aaron Rodgers is back. Davante Adams is back. All is well for the Green Bay Packers.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers have placed the franchise tag on Davante Adams. An expected move, but one that now becomes official before the deadline this afternoon.

The plan will now be to work on a long-term deal, but until then, the Packers need to figure out how to make this all work on the salary cap.

So, what does franchise-tagging Adams do for the Packers’ salary cap?

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Packers started the day $24.35 million over the salary cap. We can now add $20.15 million on top of that. As Yates notes, the Packers will now be $44.49 million over the cap.

That leaves them with little over a week to clear that number to get under the cap by the start of the new league year.

But don’t worry, the Packers are ready for this and will have a plan mapped out over the next week. They first needed Rodgers’ answer on his future, and he confirmed reports of a return to Green Bay on Twitter.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to create cap space, perhaps the biggest being a new deal for Rodgers. In the coming days, we should expect a new contract that will help lower his incredibly high 2022 cap number.

Jaire Alexander could also be a candidate for a new deal. Then there is the option to restructure contracts, and also release players. Za’Darius Smith could be a cap casualty. Randall Cobb, too, unless he’s willing to take a pay cut.

There’s a lot of work to do between now and March 16 for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, but he will know exactly how he plans to get the team under the cap.

With Davante Adams now franchise-tagged, expect plenty of roster moves in the coming days.