Getty Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on November 07, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams has caught some criticism for a puzzling comparison he made between Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr, his new quarterback with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaking with reporters following a Raiders’ practice on Thursday, June 9, Adams faced a renewal of questions surrounding Rodgers, who spoke about Adams with the media a couple of days prior. One of those questions involved stacking Rodgers up against Carr. The former has thrown Adams the vast majority of passes he’s seen in the NFL, while the latter threw most of the passes he caught in college and is one of his best friends.
“As far as talent and ability, it’s really similar, if I’m keeping it real,” Adams answered.
Adams’ response raised the eyebrows of a couple of prominent NFL analysts for ESPN, both of whom played professional football relatively recently.
Robert Griffin III, a former starting quarterback in the league, wrote on the above Instagram thread: “Derek Carr is his best friend and we all know love is blind.”
Louis Riddick, who played defensive back for several teams in the 1990s and served as a member of the Monday Night Football broadcast crew in 2021, also commented on the thread: “Yoooooooooo 👀👀👀👀.”
ALL the latest Packers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Packers newsletter here!
Adams Made Stunning Admission About Packers Contract Offer
GettyWide receiver Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders catches a pass during mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 7, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Adams was apparently in a talkative mood on Thursday, particularly when it came to Rodgers and the Packers.
The All-Pro pass catcher was asked by media members whether it was true that he turned down more money to return to Green Bay in favor of making the jump to Las Vegas. The Raiders signed Adams to what was, at the time, the richest wide receiver contract in NFL history at a total of $140 million over five years.
“You guys have heard that Green Bay offered this, which is higher and all of that. Yeah, I’ll say it — it was true,” Adams said. “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 to stay connected to my family year-round.”
Rodgers Did Some Talking of His Own on Adams This Week
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers reacts against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Ford Field on January 9, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Rodgers also spoke to the media this week about Adams’ departure to the Raiders.
“We had some really honest conversations about my future here and how long I wanted to play, and his own thoughts about his future and where he wanted to play, live and raise his family,” Rodgers said.
“The team obviously stepped up and made a competitive, or an even more compelling, offer. Ultimately, Davante thought it was best for him and his family to be in Vegas,” Rodgers continued. “So that was tough for sure, but I love Tae and love our connection.”
Rodgers was also asked by Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette if he tried to recruit Adams back to Green Bay. The quarterback’s answer was more than a little surprising.
“Not really, because we were talking almost every single day,” Rodgers said. “If I feel like I’ve got to recruit a guy like that back to the Packers, I’ve already lost.”