One of the most surprising trades of this offseason came when the Green Bay Packers parted ways with wide receiver Davante Adams. After placing the franchise tag on him, Adams let it be known that he wouldn’t play out the season under the tag.
They tried to work out a long-term deal, but nothing came to fruition. The relationship was beyond repair and Adams wanted to move on. As a result, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, subsequently agreeing to the largest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history.
That designation lasted only a few days, as Tyreek Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver after being traded by the Kansas City Chiefs to Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs, at least, made one move in free agency, bringing in JuJu Smith-Schuster before trading Hill. The Packers, unfortunately, were not as lucky.
Green Bay has yet to bring in a wide receiver to help replace Adams. Their second and third-leading receivers from last season, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard are both free agents as well.
Right now, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers are the players atop the wide receiver depth chart. That will certainly change between now and the regular season, as the team needs to get Aaron Rodgers some more weapons.
The 2022 NFL Draft will present some opportunities for the Packers to add some wide receiver talent. But, it will not be easy for one of them to replicate the production that Adams provided. But, one player who could come close is D.K. Metcalf.
There have been some rumors about the Seahawks possibly trading away Metcalf after the team traded away Russell Wilson earlier this offseason. Brad Spielberger of PFF believes Metcalf is someone that the Packers should check in on.
Standing an imposing 6’4”, weighing 235 pounds with elite athleticism, Metcalf has all of the tools to be a star in this league. Metcalf would be an excellent replacement to fill the void left behind by Adams as Rodgers’ No. 1 target in the passing game.
Metcalf already has one All-Pro season under his belt. At only 24-years old, he is only scratching the surface of his potential at this point.
Losing Adams is a tough pill to swallow, but if you can parlay some of the assets acquired from trading him into Metcalf, it would be a win for the Packers.
