The Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has finally spoken out about the looming offseason decisions regarding both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. These two players are arguably the most important pieces of their entire roster. Wanting to retain them is a definite, but a little bit harder than originally expected.
Gutekunst has said that he doesn’t at all want to trade Rodgers to another team even if it is for a hefty return price. He knows how badly the franchise depends on Rodgers to be their quarterback and leader. There are also rumors that Rodgers may simply retire which as well could throw a different wrench in their plans.
Gutekunst was asked about Rodgers and said, “Obviously everything around here centers around the quarterback. That’s kind of how we do things. It’s a big piece. It’s a domino that has to fall before we go down other avenues. So, it’s important as we go through this and the puzzle pieces that we got to make fit. That’s the first one to go. There are some timing elements to things. We’ve had really good conversations with Aaron and everybody throughout the process.”
Packers Want to Retain Adams
After this the interview turned its focus to Davante Adams. Adams is arguably the best wide receiver in the league right now and expects to be paid like it. At the moment, he is heading towards free agency at a rapid pace. The Packers are able to franchise tag him if they really want too, but it would be a last stitch effort and wouldn’t really be what they are looking for.
Gutekunst was asked about using the tag to keep Adams in place and he said, “It’s not something we’d like to do — not like to do that if we don’t have to — we’d certainly like to come up with a long-term deal that works for both sides. Again, it’s a hypothetical that a lot of things have to happen before we get to that point.”
Strangely enough, there is a possibility that Rodgers sticks around but Adams leaves. Green Bay is $32 million over the cap at the moment. With Adams wanting money that will be the most in NFL history at the wideout position, retaining him will be difficult.
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