Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams spent his first eight NFL seasons in Green Bay with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Their time together helped net Adams two first-team All-Pro selections. With 2022 being their first season apart, Adams flourished, while Rodgers struggled without his top target and arguably the best receiver in the NFL.
In a recent interview with The Ringer, Adams talked about how this year’s selection means more to him than those of the past.
“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 this season meant a lot,” he says. “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,” Adams continued. “You can just write in: He didn’t need Aaron Rodgers.”
Adams Was Quick To Say His Comments Weren’t Directed At ARod
Adams did reiterate that his comments weren’t a shot at Rodgers, who’s now the starting quarterback of the New York Jets. But it was to say he’s always done his thing, but it often was overlooked or took a back seat to Rodgers being a superstar and in Adams’ words, “a hell of a quarterback.”
Adams is tired of the narrative that he was a product of Rodgers and not a guy who put in the work to get to the level he’s at now.
“Now people can’t say that,” Adams said. “That’ll never be the narrative ever again.”
In Adams’ first season without Rodgers he caught 100 passes for over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns (most in the NFL).
Adams Will Catch Passes From Jimmy Garoppolo This Season
After catching passes from his college teammate at Fresno State, Derek Carr, and his backup Jarrett Stidham last season, Adams will now play with former San Francisco 49ers signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo.
While Garoppolo may not be as talented a passer as Rodgers or even Carr, he’s a solid replacement and a proven winner who’s not going to do attempt to do any more than he’s capable of. He’s steady.
With a receiver like Adams in the fold, Jimmy G could be looking at career offensive passing numbers. As multi-faceted as Deebo Samuel was in San Francisco, he’s no Adams by any stretch of the imagination.
Expect another big season from Adams in “Sin City,” if he stays, as Adams recently stated he and the team don’t agree on what’s best for the team right now.
Stay tuned, because if Adams wants out, he’ll be coveted by just about every team in the NFL.
