Adams Breaks Nelson’s Packers Record for Receiving Yards
DETROIT – With a 13-yard catch late in the first quarter on Sunday against the Lions, Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams broke Jordy Nelson’s single-season franchise record for receiving yards.
Jordy Nelson broke Robert Brooks’ mark with 1,519 yards in 2014. Adams entered Sunday with 1,498 yards.
“I’d like to think I can get (22 yards) without too much trouble,” Adams said this week. “It’s a special, special company I’m in, and I’m definitely blessed to be in the position I’m in.”
Adams had a 5-yard catch to convert an initial third-and-5. Next, on third-and-10, Rodgers threw a quick pass in the flat to Adams, who broke a tackle and gained 11. On the second possession, Adams had a catch for 1 yard to bring his total to 17 yards. On the first play of the third possession, he caught a slant for a gain of 13 and the record with 1,528 yards and counting.
Last week, Adams broke his own Packers record for receptions in a season. He holds the top spots for receptions, receiving yard and receiving touchdowns in franchise history.
“I don’t think about it as chasing” history, Adams said. “Anytime I set goals for myself as far as numbers, it’s just to hold myself to a standard. If I go out and catch 20 touchdowns then that means, more often than not, that’s going to equate to wins. So, that’s kind of my mentality on it and, as we get closer, obviously, it’s going to get more real. It’s something that’s closer than it’s ever been right now, so it will be great to achieve that. It will mean a lot to me, just to be a part of history like that is a special thing.”
Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback for Nelson’s record-setting season and he’s the quarterback for Adams’ record-breaking season. Rodgers became incredibly close with Nelson over their years together, and the same is true for Rodgers and Adams. It’s as if they share a mind, which allowed Rodgers to lift Nelson and Adams to greatness, no different than Nelson and Adams helped Rodgers to new heights.
“It’s special,” Rodgers said. “Those guys are both incredible players. Unique in their own ways and they both did things, so many things, extremely well. The players who stick around in this league are guys who can do at least one thing excellent, and those guys were blessed with many talents that separate themselves from other players around the league. Jordy was obviously such a good route runner, good at setting up the routes and obviously great hands, great timing, great scramble-drill awareness, fast enough to get down the field and hit those corner posts we hit for years, and tough enough to block and to break tackles.
“Davante, he’s just so talented. His releases are incredible, his ball awareness, his timing, his hands, his ability to make contested catches, his ability to create separation in short spaces in the red zone. So, two uniquely different guys but two guys who at the core really understand the quarterback position and timing and spacing and intricacies of the offense and how to cheat the system to their advantage. That’s just a huge blessing being able to play with those two guys, and to see them shine and break franchise records is pretty awesome.”
Rodgers and Adams entered Sunday having combined for 68 touchdowns, second-most in franchise history behind to the Rodgers-to-Nelson total of 65.
Last week, Adams became the first player in NFL history with back-to-back seasons of 115-plus receptions and 1,350-plus receiving yards, as well as the only player with three seasons of 110-plus receptions, 1,350-plus yards and 11-plus receiving touchdowns.
Adams, Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison, and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, are the only players that reached at least 600 receptions, 8,000 receiving yards and 70 receiving touchdowns in their first eight seasons. At the same time, he joined Harrison and Fitzgerald as the only players with at least 650 receptions, 8,000 receiving yards and 70 receiving touchdowns in his first eight seasons.
“Just to be mentioned with those types of guys, those are some pretty amazing players,” Adams said of his growing Hall of Fame credentials. “I’ve been saying it since 2017 that I feel like I’m the best receiver in the league. It all starts with the person who’s in control and I kind of drive that bus. And that’s definitely a thought that’s on my mind.
“It’s not everything, I don’t take the field every single snap like, ‘Oh, I’m a Hall of Famer.’ Like it’s not like that. I’m not King Kong beating on my chest. But it’s just the mentality, like those dudes, everybody who has a Gold Jacket they were a dog. I don't really see a lot of differences between myself and some of those guys other than they have an extensive resume and I’m still working on mine.”
Last week, Adams moved past legendary Don Hutson (7,991) for fourth place on the Packers’ career receiving list.
While Adams is rewriting the Packers’ record book, nobody will ever match what Hutson did in 1942, when he caught 74 passes for 1,211 yards and 17 touchdowns in an 11-game season. Today, it remains one of the great – if forgotten – seasons by any player at any position in NFL history. Put over the old 16-game format, that would equate to 108 receptions for 1,761 yards and 25 touchdowns. Put over the new 17-game format, that would project to 114 receptions for 1,872 yards and 26 touchdowns.
While Adams dominates Green Bay’s passing attack, Hutson had 50.3 percent of the receiving yards and 60.7 percent of the receiving touchdowns. In the 10-team NFL, he had more receiving yards than four teams and more receiving touchdowns than all but the Bears.
Among receivers since the start of the 2016 season, Adams is No. 1 in the NFL with 575 receptions (25 more than Hopkins), No. 1 with 7,137 yards (136 more than Jones) and No. 1 with 69 touchdowns (11 more than Mike Evans).
Packers Single-Season Receiving Records
(Entering Sunday)
Receptions
*Davante Adams, 117 (2021)
Davante Adams, 115 (2020)
Sterling Sharpe, 112 (1993)
Davante Adams, 111 (2018)
Sterling Sharpe, 108 (1992)
Receiving Yards
Jordy Nelson, 1,519 (2014)
*Davante Adams, 1,498 (2021)
Robert Brooks, 1,497 (1995)
Sterling Sharpe, 1,461 (1992)
Antonio Freeman, 1,424 (1998)
Receiving Touchdowns
Davante Adams, 18 (2020)
Sterling Sharpe, 18 (1994)
Don Hutson, 17 (1942)
Jordy Nelson, 15 (2011)
Antonio Freeman (1998), Jordy Nelson (2016), James Jones (2012), 14
