Packers Strike Out on Davante Adams, DK Metcalf on Eve of NFL Free Agency

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On the eve of NFL free agency, the Green Bay Packers missed out on the premier veteran receivers, with Davante Adams signing with the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers trading for DK Metcalf on Sunday.

As it turns out, they never were really in the mix for either player. The price was too rich for Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.

Adams, who was released by the Jets this week and therefore didn’t have to wait for the start of free agency to choose a team, agreed to a two-year, $46 million contract that included $26 million guaranteed.

The Rams started the day with almost $43.0 million of salary-cap space, slightly more than the Packers.

We've agreed to terms with WR Davante Adams on a 2-year deal. ⤵️
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 9, 2025

Ultimately, the Packers didn’t have a bit of interest in paying that kind of money to a 32-year-old receiver, no matter that he was coming off a fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh sent a second-round pick to Seattle in exchange for Metcalf. With Metcalf entering his final season under contract, the Steelers promptly handed him a five-year, $150 million extension. He’s the seventh receiver in the league with an average salary of at least $30 million.

TRADE: Seahawks trading DK Metcalf to the Steelers for a 2025 second-round pick.

Metcalf is signing a five-year, $150 million contract with Pittsburgh. (via @tompelissero, @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/fefRvz59Ud
— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2025

The Packers own the 54th pick of the second round while the Steelers owned the 52nd pick. It wasn’t just the draft pick, though. It was the combination of draft pick and dollars.

“You’d better be right, you know?” Gutekunst said of his philosophy on trading for veteran stars. “When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you’re trading a young, really good contract for a player who’s proven but is probably expensive. So, you’re giving up a pick and salary-cap space.

“So, I think you’ve got to weigh that. And if it’s the right player, if you feel like he can be a dynamic player who can change your football team, I think you’ve got to consider that, because there’s not many of those guys out there. But I think you have to also understand what you’re giving up. So, that’s kind of my philosophy.”

Both players would have been a huge help to an offense that sputtered down the stretch.

Adams, a three-time All-Pro, is coming off a fifth consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus yards and eight-plus receiving touchdowns. While he missed three games due to injury in 2024, he missed only one the previous three seasons combined.

Metcalf is a two-time Pro Bowler. Had he not missed two games last season – just the second and third games of his career – he would have had a third consecutive 1,000-yard season. The Packers will badly miss Watson’s deep speed; Metcalf led the NFL with 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield.

With that, it’s onto Plan B – of maybe it’s still Plan A – in the quest to improve the receiver corps after the group that finished 2023 on a hot streak failed to take a step forward in 2024.

No receiver corps dropped more passes than Green Bay’s, with Dontayvion Wicks having the second-highest drop percentage and Jayden Reed the third-highest. Christian Watson suffered a torn ACL in Week 18 and will miss at least half of the upcoming season. Romeo Doubs, still without a 100-yard game in the regular season, is coming off a season with two concussions. For his career, Doubs has more suspensions (one) than 40-yard plays (zero).

So, while the talk entering last season was if it mattered that the Packers didn’t have a No. 1 receiver, the talk throughout this offseason is whether Gutekunst needed to find one.

He seemed to downplay the idea at the end of the season, though.

“I know the term No. 1 receiver gets thrown around a lot, and I think that just depends what that means to you,” he said. “But I’d like our football team to get to a point where we can win in situational football better than we have right now. I think for us to do that, that group’s going to have to take some steps, and I think they will.

“They’re on the right track. We’re dealing with some injury stuff that these guys will have to get through before next season, but they are on the right track.”

There’s no doubt the Packers will add a receiver. However, after never even dipping a toe into the Adams Sweepstakes or making an offer for Metcalf, Gutekunst will be looking at past-their-prime veterans or unproven draft picks.

Of the four receivers available in ESPN’s rankings, their average age for Week 1 will be almost 31. The youngest, the Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin, is 29 and coming off a season-ending ankle injury. Another, Stefon Diggs, is 31 and coming off a torn ACL.

Gutekunst might have to look to the draft. The Packers haven’t selected a receiver in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002, but that might be what it takes to get instant impact at the position. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Texas’ Matthew Golden could be available when Green Bay is up at No. 23.

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Under the assumption the #Packers wouldn't get either Adams or Metcalf, here was a mock draft from this morning in which I took a receiver in the first round. It's the best option at this point.https://t.co/7Tb12fAN0w
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 9, 2025