Rodgers’ Uncertain Future Played Role in Adams’ Push for Trade
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Had Aaron Rodgers been committed to being the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback for the long term, Davante Adams might have signed a long-term contract to stay in Green Bay.
Instead, with the 38-year-old Rodgers uncertain about his future, Adams took in the bigger picture and was granted a trade to Las Vegas. With the Raiders – his childhood favorite team – he was reunited with his college quarterback and close friend, Derek Carr, and got to play closer to his family.
“He was aware of where I stood, and I was aware of where he stood,” Adams told beat reporters in Las Vegas on Thursday. “We had talks, just like what he said [on Tuesday]. We had talks about his future and what he thinks is his duration in Green Bay or just football in general would look like. And that played into my decision, as well, because where I’m (at) in my career.
“This isn’t a shot at any other quarterbacks in Green Bay – I love Jordan Love, especially, he’s a great guy – but I got aspirations of doing really, really big things and being remembered. It wasn’t really a point in my career that I was willing to sacrifice Aaron not being there after a year or two. So, my decision was to be here, and he respected that. He understood that.”
Adams, 29, is in the midst of a stretch of seasons that has made the Hall of Fame a legitimate possibility. Over the past six seasons, he is No. 1 in the NFL with 581 receptions, No. 2 with 7,192 yards (Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has 7,269) and No. 1 with 69 touchdowns. He’s No. 1 among receivers in all three categories, including plus-nine in touchdowns.
A receiver can’t put up those kinds of numbers by himself. He certainly has a better chance of sustaining that success with Carr than with Love.
The football perspective allowed Adams to focus on a personal perspective. Adams said his grandparents haven’t seen him play in eight years. Because of the proximity to the rest of his family, he said it will be easier to get a suite so everyone can see him play.
Rodgers on Tuesday said he had “nothing but love” for Adams. When Adams decided he wanted out, the Packers could have held firm.
“He didn’t necessarily have a ton of leverage,” Rodgers said. “You put the franchise tag on somebody, and then that kind of locks him in at a number. He could obviously sit out and not play, and that could get really ugly. Ultimately, his incredible value that he had gave us a couple of picks, and that’s ultimately what he wanted was to be in Vegas and to kind of start the next chapter of his career. Look, I’m not going to stand in the way of that. I love him. It’s really friggin’ hard, for sure, but when you love somebody and you care about somebody like that, ultimately you want them to be happy.”
So, the Packers retooled by signing veteran Sammy Watkins and trading up for Christian Watson. And Adams gets to catch passes from his former Fresno State teammate and offseason workout partner.
“We’ve had a lot of good talks,” Adams said of he and Rodgers. “He understands where I’m coming from. I understood where he was coming from. So, we kind of just left it at that.”
Here’s more from Adams.
How is it working again with former Packers receivers coach and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett and easing his transition?
“Man, he was one of the first people I saw when I walked in the building after I signed and it just put a big smile on my face, man. It added because I don’t know as many players, or I didn’t know as many players on this team as maybe some others when I when I first got here, so to see a familiar face and also Coach Mo (Maurice Drayton), he was the special teams guy in Green Bay. So, to see some familiar faces like that it just kind of gives you a sense of comfort and a guy who understands what I’m about. He’s seen me from literally when I first got in Green Bay, so he’s kind of seen the whole progression from a young rookie who doesn’t know anything to coming in and I’ve kind of established a few things now. So, just to be able to work with him again is definitely a blessing.”
What are some of the subtle similarities or differences between Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr?
That’s a tough question. I mean, it’s tough to compare. It’s really apples and oranges there. I mean, it’s just such a different ball game. Obviously, you have Aaron, who’s cemented as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.
That’s just like comparing me to Jerry Rice. It’d be tough to do because Jerry’s put together what he’s done and its undeniable respect for him. And me, I’m still going and there’s still a lot that I got to do to be able to be mentioned with Jerry, and I’m aware of that. And I think Derek is also aware of that from a big picture. But as far as talent and ability, I mean, it’s really similar if I’m keeping it real. They throw the ball a lot different. Derek is going to fire it in there and you’re going to know that thing is coming quick. And Aaron’s got the ability to just kind
of tighten that core up and just flick the ball to you. So, the release is a lot different.
Being able to get the ball to you late if they see you coming out of a break, not many quarterbacks can get it to you before you get to the sideline if you’re outside the numbers already. But having two guys like that with really strong arms and understand the game, and the mental part of it is another similarity that they have. They both obsess over it and they know everything that’s going on out there. A lot of times, I’ve seen Aaron call out a blitz when the safety is 17 yards off the ball just kind of creeping back there. He said in practice, ‘Hey, he’s coming.’ And I’m like, ‘What?’ And then, sure enough, dude comes flying in on the snap from 17 yards down the field. So, I’ve seen that from Aaron and then I’ve seen Derek literally give me a check that didn’t make any sense to me before in college. Here, same thing, and we score a touchdown on it.
So, a lot of similarities but much different, and I think Derek is in a position to where he’s chasing to be one of those all-time greats like that. Like I said, that’s not a slight on Derek whatsoever. I wouldn’t be here if I was slighting Derek, but I don’t think that I’m ready to compare myself to Jerry Rice just yet. We’ll see when it’s all said and done, or after some more time, just to be fair overall. And I think the same is with Derek, we’re both chasing it and still got a lot in front of us.
You see a lot of guys sign the big contract and go places they’re not happy. Watching you out at practices, you genuinely seem to be loving where you’re at. At this time in your life, can you describe that feeling to not only got the respect of the pay day, but to be in a place that you’re so happy?
Time of my life. It’s hard to explain. You guys have heard, Green Bay offered this, which is higher than what I was (offered here) and all of that. I’ll say it, it was true, OK, it was true. But like I said, there’s much more that goes into it and family is a big part of it for me. So, geographically being here, it makes it a lot easier for me to stay connected to my family year-round. I had the choice, and the choice was for me to come here and raise my family on the West Coast and come out here and have some fun in the sun, and it’s starting to get incredibly sunny.
But, yeah, it’s hard to explain. This is what I thought about: You’ve seen the pictures of me as a kid and in my yearbook saying NFL, NBA star, that’s what I want to do. Davante Adams, NFL, NBA star. And sometimes you’ve got to just manifest it and throw your jersey on. They say history repeats itself, so here we are.
