Davante Adams, Packers Reportedly Agree to Monster 4-Year, $58M Contract
December 29, 2017
The Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly agreed to terms Friday on a four-year, $58 million contract extension that includes an $18 million signing bonus, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The deal also includes a $32 million payout over the first two years.
Adams, 25, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2017 season.
According to Spotrac, Adams' $14.5 million average annual salary will be the fourth-highest in the NFL next season behind those of Antonio Brown ($17 million), DeAndre Hopkins ($16.2 million) and A.J. Green ($15 million).
That figure also trumps the $13 million average annual salary the Philadelphia Eagles paid Alshon Jeffery earlier this month upon extending him on a four-year, $52 million deal that includes $27 million guaranteed.
The move is an especially big one for the Packers considering Adams has emerged as their No. 1 receiver over the past two years and was primed to entertain a serious bidding war on the open market.
After erupting for 997 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, Adams posted 885 yards and 10 scores before suffering a season-ending concussion against the Carolina Panthers in Week 15.
According to Pro Football Reference, Adams leads all players with 22 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons. The only other receivers with at least 20 are Brown and Adams' teammate, Jordy Nelson.
Nelson, though, watched his production dip quite a bit in 2017 as he mustered 53 receptions for 482 yards and six scores one year after going for 1,257 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns.
With Nelson and Randall Cobb both coming off underwhelming campaigns, keeping Adams in the fold long-term will help stabilize the receiving corps since ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported "one or both could be in danger of being released or having to take a pay cut this offseason."