The Browns should keep an eye on Davante Adams as free agency looms

The Cleveland Browns may get a shot at Davante Adams after all.

There was a projection on Twitter a few months ago that basically said all of the top-flight receivers were expected to re-sign with their original teams this year, making for a bare-bones free agency class. That was probably true before the Saturday night loss of the Green Bay Packers for Davante Adams, but because of their potential implosion, the Cleveland Browns may have a shot at him.

One of the biggest storylines in the NFL this offseason is going to be how the Packers look at 2022. They’re $38+ million over the cap according to Spotrac and are going to need to cut nearly $40 million just to get under that figure. That doesn’t even factor in how much money they’ll have to clear for rookies. It’s very likely that the Packers could shed anywhere from $50-$60 million this offseason alone. One of the biggest contracts will be Aaron Rodgers. He’s all but gone, and the Packers are probably hoping he retires, as they’ll be eating $28 million at least going forward.

Essentially they’ll eat half of his remaining money if they move on from him.

Due to how much money they owe, it’s very likely the Packers go into a full rebuild if they part ways with Rodgers. If that happens David Bakhtiari, Za’Darius Smith and Randall Cobb are also candidates to be cut or traded.

One name that would more than likely not be back in that situation is of course, Adams.

The Cleveland Browns could see Davante Adams be a free agent after all

It seems unlikely that Adams will want to be a Packer after this year for a list of reasons. Firstly, he’ll likely have to take less money to come back. He got paid $16 million this year, and he has earned the right to go get that, if not more on his next deal.

Would the Packers want to commit to Adams if they’re going into a rebuild?

Which is the second point, the Packers could be about to rebuild the whole thing. With Rodgers nearing 40, and not happy in general (let at least with the Packers), and the ballooning price of their roster, a lot of people are going to be moved on from. A lot of the better, higher price players. That’s going to trigger a rebuild of sorts. It doesn’t seem likely that Adams will want to stick around and play out the last of his prime with Jordan Love as his primary quarterback; considering we don’t even know if he’ll be any good. After all, Adams is nearly done as a top guy in the league and has only a few more years left.

Adams will be 30 for the 2022 season, and it seems unlikely that he’ll be into the idea of playing for a rebuilding team, with an unknown quarterback, who will likely be more interested in draft positioning than playoff positioning.

All of these factors make Adams a viable option for the Browns to go after.