Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers hints decision on future likely by franchise tag deadline out of respect for Davante Adams

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Not only might Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams be a package deal, but the timing on whether both will return to the Green Bay Packers could happen almost simultaneously.

While Rodgers originally said he would likely have a decision by the time free agency begins, which is March 16, he offered the possibility that it could be even sooner.

If the Packers are going to use the franchise tag on Adams, the All-Pro receiver, they can do so as early as Feb. 22 but no later than March 8. Rodgers has already said he does not want to be part of a rebuild and likely considers anything without Adams to be just that. And likewise for Adams, he would almost certainly prefer to be able to explore his options if Rodgers doesn't return to the Packers.

«I'd like to be respectful of the organization,» Rodgers said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. «One decision that will be upcoming will be obviously Davante and his future with the team. There still is this thing called a franchise tag, which I don't think '17' wants the franchise.

»I think that should be enough time to make a decision by then. I don't want to put myself on a specific date, but I do want to be sensitive to Davante and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. To drag it out past free agency would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100 percent will not happen."

There are also the salary-cap implications to consider. The Packers sit $44.8 million over their projected salary cap for the 2022 season, and that's without Adams. The franchise tag for a receiver will be close to $20 million. Teams have to be under their cap with their top-51 players by 4 p.m. ET on March 16.

Rodgers gave few, if any, hints about