The Green Bay Packers will immediately gain almost $20 million in cap space when the trade of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders is officially completed.
A team pushed up against the cap will suddenly be free to sign in-house free agents or pursue other available free agents.
The Packers went into Thursday night at around $1 million in cap space, thanks to over $75 million worth of cap adjustments completed over the last month to get under the cap by the start of the new league year. Trading Adams will create around $19.4 million in new cap space, which will give the Packers all the space needed to get aggressive on the open market if desired.
Overall, the Packers will have roughly $20.4 million of cap space after dealing Adams.
Adams was on the books at a $20.1 million cap number after being given the franchise tag earlier this month. The Packers will remove the entire sum by trading him to the Raiders, but his cap number will be replaced by a minimum contract ($705,000) because of the Top 51 rule. The difference between the two numbers is roughly $19.4 million.
The new cap space could be used to re-sign cornerback Rasul Douglas, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling or tight end Robert Tonyan, the team’s top three unrestricted free agents. The Packers could also hunt for a veteran receiver or defensive lineman in free agency. With an extra $20 million, Gutekunst could easily keep or add 2-3 players.
Losing Adams is certainly a blow, especially to the passing game and the offense’s ability to consistently score points. He won’t be easily replaced. But the Packers are now loaded with draft picks and suddenly free of handcuffing salary cap constraints.
Trading Adams provided Gutekunst and the Packers with valuable assets. Now, the team must make the most of the picks and cap space. Turning an All-Pro receiver into a handful of good players could make the Packers a more well-rounded and deeper team, but it’s on Gutekunst and the personnel department to pay the right players and draft the right prospects.
