When the Packers opted to trade receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders, an obvious question arose. What’s their plan at the position without him?
By failing to get Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed before trading Adams, MVS saw his stock increase. After the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill, Valdes-Scantling found a new home and a very healthy payday.
So what’s next? Randall Cobb continues to be the most accomplished receiver under contract for the Packers. Allen Lazard has a restricted free agency tender. Even if no one signs him to an offer sheet, he has leverage. The Packers currently need him more than he needs them; he can sit out until they offer what he views to be a fair long-term deal.
Many assume the Packers will draft one or more receivers, especially with an extra first- and second-round pick from the Adams trade. But even with more and more young receivers getting it done at a high level from the outset of their NFL careers, it’s hardly a sure thing that whoever they pick will hit the ground running -- and catching.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers looms over the entire situation. How quickly will he warm up, if at all, to rookie receivers? How long will it take him to trust them?
The Packers would be very wise to involve Rodgers in the scouting they’re doing. Give him a role. Let him watch film. Let him spot strengths and weaknesses. Give him a voice now, because he’ll definitely have a voice later.
Green Bay also could consider making a trade. With that may come an obligation to pay the player. That’s likely why they never got involved in the Tyreek Hill trade discussions. Thus, while some think maybe the Packers will make a run at Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, if they wouldn’t pay Adams or Hill, why would they pay Metcalf? (If they do, will that be something that happens at the behest of Rodgers?)
A more intriguing option resides in Pittsburgh. Chase Claypool remains a year away from becoming eligible for a second contract. Claypool, who has shown some flashes of being a handful for the Steelers, may not be thrilled about the quarterback situation. Given the team’s uncanny ability to find mid-to-late-round receivers, why not flip Claypool for the first-round pick the Packers picked up from the Raiders?
It’s just a thought. An idea. The Packers will need one (or more) if they hope to be as good without Adams as they would have been with him.