The divide in negotiations between the Green Bay Packers and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams looks like a simple one. Neither side can agree on who is the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, a result of DeAndre Hopkins’ outlier contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals.
The disagreement is a substantial one because Adams wants to be the new highest-paid receiver after an All-Pro season in which he led the NFL in touchdown catches in 2020.
“It’s how you interpret what the highest receiver in the National Football League is getting paid,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Thursday. “Certainly, I agree with him, he’s definitely worth that, we believe that as well, there just might be a difference between what we believe is the highest-paid receiver and what he might.”
Adams, who is entering a contract year in 2021, expressed his frustrations with the state of negotiations on Wednesday. He said he wouldn’t settle for anything less than becoming the NFL’s highest-paid receiver, regardless of Aaron Rodgers’ future with the Packers.
“Now we’re in a pretty tough spot,” Adams said.
In Adams’ mind, the highest-paid receiver is Hopkins, who signed a two-year extension with $54.5 million in new money. His average per year is $27.25 million. The next highest-paid receiver is Julio Jones at $22 million per year, highlighting where the Packers might have reservations about matching Hopkins’ number.
Also, Hopkins signed his deal after getting a trade out of Houston. The Packers would likely argue the two situations are different, but the team also set a precedent for this situation when it made David Bakhtiari the NFL’s highest-paid left tackle last year, eclipsing the number set by Laremy Tunsil after he was traded to Houston.
Only two other players at wide receiver – Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper – make $20 million or more per year on their current deals.
Adams’ bargaining spot is strong. But the team still has him under contract for another year, and the franchise tag is an option if all else fails.
Then again, the Packers have an increasingly tricky salary cap situation to navigate, both this year and the next, and Adams – who has missed six games over the last two seasons – will turn 29 this year. Great players like Adams deserve their money, but there is real danger on the Packers’ side.
“We value him. He’s such a great player. He’s a warrior when he goes out there,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, we’d like to figure something out. We’ll continue to work on that as we go.”
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