After Packers wide receiver Davante Adams said in July that he deserves to be the highest-paid receiver in the league, General Manager Brian Gutekunst said he agreed but that there were different ways to determine that status.
Getting to a point where the Packers and Adams view things the same way will be essential to sealing a deal that keeps Adams in Green Bay beyond this season. The Packers aren’t putting any deadlines on getting to that point.
Gutekunst noted that he and director of football operations Russ Ball worked out a new deal with left tackle David Bakhtiari during the 2020 season and said that the team has no organizational policy of cutting off contract talks once the season starts.
“We’re always open to the conversations, we don’t shut things down for the season,” Gutekunst said, via Zach Kruse of USAToday.com. “I know some teams have done that in the past. Russ and I don’t think that’s how we would do things. We’re open, like last year with David, we’re willing to work through the season to get things done.”
Gutekunst expects to need the time. He called the Adams negotiations a “long process” and there’s no guarantee that things will come together during the season. Given Aaron Rodgers‘ situation, that could set the stage for a pair of big departures from the Packers come next year.