Raiders’ Davante Adams Says Last Year Proved He Didn’t Need Aaron Rodgers

The wide receiver finished first in the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns and third in the league with 1,516 receiving yards.

When Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders last year after eight seasons with the Packers, some questioned whether the wide receiver would be able to continue performing at the same level without quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Even in a new city with a different team, the six-time Pro Bowler still  posted impressive statistics last year: he led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns and third in the NFL with 1,516 receiving yards.

The Rodgers–Adams storyline seemed to never disappear during the 2022 season, no matter how the wide receiver performed, but Adams is hoping that changes entering his second year in Las Vegas.

“Now people can’t say that,” Adams said in a recent interview with The Ringer’s Mirin Fader. “That’ll never be the narrative ever again. It proved that I am me. A quarterback doesn’t make me. … I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level. That’s why [last] season meant a lot. Even if I went and played like dog s— next year, they can’t say it. Because now I’ve already proved it throughout the course of a season, played every game, and put together a résumé that says I do not need … You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn’t need Aaron Rodgers.”

Despite Adams expressing that he didn’t need Rodgers last season to succeed on the field, the wide receiver and new Jets quarterback have remained close. In fact, Adams even tried to recruit Rodgers to the Raiders after Derek Carr left the team for the Saints. 

In 2023, Adams will play with another new quarterback as former 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be the Raiders’ new starter.