A new contract for All-Pro receiver Davante Adams won’t come cheap for the Green Bay Packers.
Spotrac, a website that tracks contract and salary cap information, estimates Adams – who is entering a contract year in 2021 – is worth almost $25 million per year and predicts a four-year deal worth nearly $100 million total.
The breakdown uses contractual and statistical comparisons to other top receivers in the NFL, including DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones.
The prediction on Adams’ market value: $99,917,636 over four years, or $24,979,409 per year, which would make him the second-highest paid receiver in football.
Adams’ current deal is for four years, $58 million. He signed the deal at the end of the 2017 season.
Over the last three seasons, Adams has averaged 103 catches, 1,252 yards and 12 touchdowns per year. He has made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2020, when he caught a career-high 18 touchdowns in just 14 games.
Ideally, the Packers would get a deal done with Adams before the start of the regular season and lower his cap hit in 2021 ($16,767,500), providing the team with much-needed cap space. The one problem: the Packers already have millions committed against the cap in future years, especially 2022. The team has four players with a cap hit of $20 million or more in 2022, and that doesn’t even include cornerback Jaire Alexander, who will likely need a new deal before the start of next year.
Adams doesn’t turn 29 until December and should have several more very good seasons ahead of him, but third contracts for aging receivers can be risky business, especially when the deals are at top-of-the-market value.
Of course, the Aaron Rodgers rift is another major factor potentially holding up extension talks with Adams. The Packers may need to figure out the quarterback situation – both in 2021 and beyond – before digging into a new deal for a receiver.
Adams has already said he won’t hold out of training camp despite the risks of injury in a contract year.
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