Davante Adams is praying the day will come when he can reassure Packer Nation on live television that Aaron Rodgers is coming back to the Green Bay Packers for the 2021 season.
Today just isn’t that day.
Adams became the first of Rodgers’ current teammates to speak out on the reported rift between the reigning NFL MVP and the Packers during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Monday afternoon, confirming he has spoken with Rodgers since ESPN’s Adam Schefter brought their issues to the public light on April 29.
Adams, who has built a strong connection with Rodgers over the past seven seasons, declined to get into specifics about their conversation, but he did make clear he was in Rodgers’ corner on the issue and would be the first celebrating his return to the Packers if the two sides are able to resolve their issues.
“We’ve talked a little bit,” Adams told Cowherd on Monday. “A lot is still being figured out on his end, so it’s tough for me to get into the specifics and speak on it. Honestly, I would love to. Can’t wait until I can just get on here and tell you that he’s back and we’re back doing our thing we’ve been doing. But for now, he’s got to iron out a few things and then hopefully I’ll be back on the show, we’ll be celebrating, taking shots and whatnot.”
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Adams Indicates Respect is Major Factor
Few current Packers are likely to have more information on Rodgers’ mindset than Adams aside from All-Pro left tackle and longtime friend David Bakhtiari, so it isn’t surprising to hear him choose his words carefully when describing the situation. He did suggest, though, that the Packers’ respect for Rodgers has contributed to their current problem.
“We all know it’s a pretty dense business,” Adams said. “Just like any other job, you want to be happy and you want guys, once you have gained that respect, you want to be treated with that respect. … I can’t speak on specifics, but there are certain things that he wants and maybe the club wasn’t so excited about living up to right away, and that can affect a guy who has done so much for an organization. He’s put his body and really laid his life on the line out there for that team, for his teammates and everything, so I’ve been behind him 100% throughout the whole thing.”
“We’ve established a lot together. It would change a lot. It doesn’t mean I’d be gone, but I’d definitely have to do some extra thinking if my guy wasn’t here.”
— @tae15adams on potential future in Green Bay if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t remain a Packer:
Rodgers May Impact Adams’ Future With Packers
The Packers have been reaping the benefits of a strong Rodgers-to-Adams connection for several seasons now with both of them reaching career-high marks during the 2020 campaign, but it is possible that bond could work against them if they are unable to reach a resolution with their future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Adams is set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and, short of stunning regression in 2021, can look forward to a massive market that will likely make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers. The Packers would have an understandable interest in keeping him around as one of their top offensive weapons, while Adams would be even more
Could Rodgers parting ways with the Packers have a legitimate impact on what Adams chooses to do in next year’s free agency, though?
“Potentially, potentially,” Adams confirmed when Cowherd asked him directly. “That’s my guy. That’s the only guy that I’ve had other than that 2017 season when he got hurt. That’s the only guy that I’ve played with and we’ve built up a special connection over the years that has put us both in really good positions in our career, not that he needed me to come along for it because he was already in that spot. But we established a lot together, so it would change a lot, man. (That) doesn’t mean potentially I would be gone, but definitely would have to do some extra thinking if my guy wasn’t here.”
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Davante Adams Breaks Silence on Packers’ Rift With Aaron Rodgers