I cannot recall an offseason that has been more like fantasy football than the one we are currently experiencing as football fans. And we can now add the trading of Davante Adams to the chaos.
It was announced earlier this evening that the Packers are trading away the best player that Aaron Rodgers has ever played with in Adams. Adam Schefter is reporting it is for a 2022 first-round pick, 22nd overall, and a 2022 second-round pick, 53 overall. Thus, the draft host Raiders will not have a pick in the first two rounds, but they shouldn’t be too upset by that.
The Raiders promptly signed Adams to a five-year contract for $141.25 million, making him the highest-paid WR in the game.
There are so many angles to this that need to be looked at from a fantasy and dynasty perspective. Short term, this is amazing for the Raiders. On the flip side, it isn’t good for the Packers because we don’t know how happy Rodgers is with the brass in Green Bay now.
What does this mean for the college teammates reunited? What about Rodgers and his new extension? Put on a bib cause things are about to get messy.
Outlook for the Raiders
So first things first, if you are a Derek Carr shareholder, you just had the equivalent of oil being found in your front yard. Carr was already a value in fantasy but wasn’t seen as a guy who would win you a league. Now, with Adams, he just might. His best parts of last year were when he still had his number one target Henry Ruggs. After losing him due to tragic circumstances, we saw the Raiders’ offense sputter before finding itself to end the year. Carr already has Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, but those two guys are completely different roles than what Adams can be. This means for sure though that Carr is all out of excuses with the arrival of Adams. If you own shares, you hold onto those like your team depends on it regardless of format.
As we just mentioned, Waller and Renfrow may see a tiny dip in targets with the arrival of Adams. They lost Zay Jones to free agency, and if we take away the targets Ruggs had last year, that frees up 106 targets. We can almost assume Adams takes all of those, but that should help out Renfrow and Waller. Both men should see a tiny dip, and the same can be said for the running backs on the roster. Josh Jacobs and company will get a lot of work with new head coach Josh McDaniels arriving. We may see this Raiders team pivot to a much more pass-happy approach like we saw in New England under McDaniels.
Outlook for the Packers
Do not take a victory lap if you are an Allen Lazard shareholder because between the draft and free agency. There are so many options left for the Packers at receiver. They will need to make a splash if they hope to keep Rodgers in any sort of good mood, and some names could potentially do that. You can assume that Lazard will see some more targets, and Rodgers has spoken about the trust they have built, so that is something to watch. Names like Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones, and Juju Smith-Schuster are available. Everyone is campaigning for Odell Beckham Jr., but with his tearing his ACL in February, his market may be marginalized.
Until they make a move, you may see offers come in for Lazard for the time being. Depending on the package, I would sell, but it may be worth it to hold only because of the Rodgers relationship. I don’t see this impacting the running backs in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon a whole bunch so stay tight with them.
What Does Aaron Rodgers Do Next?
Boy, this is some bad cheese the Packers have worked themselves into. Rodgers has said before that he regards Adams as the greatest player he has ever played with. You have to imagine that he must be somewhat upset by the move. That being said, Rodgers just signed his extension, and trades don’t happen just like that. Did he know about this before signing?
The coming days will let us know for sure, but in terms of fantasy, this doesn’t change a thing for Rodgers regardless of the outcome. It is doubtful he will be traded. The contract has so much dead money language you would think the grim reaper himself pulled it from the ground.
Sit tight; it is only March 17th, we have a long offseason ahead of us and the first week of free agency isn’t even over yet.
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