Poor roster management means Aaron Rodgers will once again be forced to carry the Packers' offense in 2022
Aaron Rodgers was made a very happy man this offseason when he signed a three-year, $150 million deal with the Green Bay Packers. With a record payday, he erased any lingering drama between himself and the team since Jordan Love was taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Yet there is one glaring problem with the Packers' offseason. That would be the fact they lost a star in receiver Davante Adams. The team was forced to trade him to the Las Vegas Raiders, who proceeded to sign him to a lucrative deal.
It's not like Adams simply walked away. He wanted out at a time when his quarterback had just returned on a new deal after back-to-back MVP awards. That is a bad sign and leaves Green Bay in a rough spot heading into the 2022 season.
Familiar theme for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers
This has become a shockingly familiar theme for the team in Green Bay. For some reason, the team just can't keep its stars happy. It all started with Rodgers. How he was treated in 2020 may have led to a domino effect where Adams wanted out in 2022.
The receiver's reasoning was not knowing if Rodgers would stick around for more than a year or two. Getting a shot at playing with his friend, Derek Carr, also swayed his mind.
But it is important to note how the Packers front office continues to botch relationships with big-name players. So, where does that leave them?
Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, and Allen Lazard are now tasked with being top targets on an offense dominated by Adams in 2021. The receiver had a whopping 169 targets last season, with running back Aaron Jones next on the list with 65.
This now creates a scenario where Cobb, Watkins, and Lazard must make up the production of an world-class receiver at a time when Rodgers is chasing one final Super Bowl before retirement.
Logic would say the front office would try to surround their aging, legendary quarterback with as much top talent as possible. Yet this franchise tried to replace their legend, only for him to win consecutive MVP awards. They then went back on that plan, only to lose their star receiver after so many years of drama hanging over the organization like a dark cloud.
Can Rodgers lead the Packers without a fellow star on offense? It is entirely possible, but Adams was a Pro Bowl player from 2017 onward. It will take an offseason of perfect practice and someone stepping up in a huge way to make the Packers offense hum as it once did.
Green Bay is now a land of opportunity where players like Lazard or Amari Rodgers can step up and become the next Adams. If they can do that, they will forever thank Rodgers for making them look like stars.