Davante Adams is real winner of Tyler Lockett’s big contract extension

In the wake of the new contract Tyler Lockett got from the Seahawks, Davante Adams has to be all smiles.

Coming off the best season of his career and heading into the final year of his contract, the Seattle Seahawks signed wide receiver Tyler Lockett to a four-year, $69.2 million contract extension ($37 million guaranteed) on Wednesday. News of the deal had to get the attention of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.

Lockett had a career-high 100 catches last season, with a tied for career-best 10 touchdowns. The black mark is a career-worst 10.5 yards per catch on his way to 1,054 yards. He has topped 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (1,057 yards in 2019), though 2020 was his first season with more than 90 catches. His only career Pro Bowl selection came as a rookie in 2015….as a return man.

According to Spotrac, looking to 2022, Lockett now comes in 10th among wide receivers in total contract value. It’s important to note the coming details regarding how the guaranteed money is structured, and how Lockett will come in among his peers beyond that surface, maximum total contract value. But in a broad sense, the deal is pretty eye-opening.

So what is Davante Adams worth?

After outlining Lockett’s resume, let’s look at what Adams has done.

– 4-Time Pro Bowler (four straight years)
-10 or more touchdowns in four of last five seasons (league-leading 18 in 2020)
-More than 110 catches in two of the last three seasons
-More than 1,300 yards in two of the last three seasons

All of the above exceeds what Lockett has done thus far in his career, albeit in an offense that is constructed differently than Green Bay’s. But production is production, and Adams is in the conversation among the top handful of wide receivers in the league. Frankly, Lockett is not in that same conversation.

Adams is also entering the final year of his contract. A contract extension with the Packers is apparently in the works, but it’s not yet done. Not that the team is low-balling or would low ball him, but the price may have just gone up a tick up thanks to the deal the Seahawks gave Lockett.

It’s not clear if it’s already been updated in the wake of Lockett’s deal, but Spotrac has tabbed Adams’ market value at $24.9 million per year on a hypothetical five-year, $124.9 million deal. For an apples-to-apples comparison there, Lockett’s extension has an average annual value of $17.3 million.