Getty Wide receiver Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after catching a pass for a touchdown during the 2nd quarter of the against the Minnesota Vikings game at Lambeau Field on January 02, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers All-Pro Davante Adams often lets his play speak for him, but when something needs to be said, the wide receiver isn’t shy with his opinion.
That was the case on Friday, January 14 when Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay took to Twitter to bemoan the disrespect he felt due to his exclusion from the NFL’s First-Team All-Pro squad, particularly the fact that he received just one vote. Slay retweeted a post from Dave Zangaro, of NBC Sports, who noted that he was surprised the Eagles cover man garnered such little consideration for the honor.
“Damn 1 vote!!! 3 picks and 3 TDs and I travel 😂 😂 😂,” Slay wrote as the caption of his retweet.
By “traveling,” Slay meant that he follows top wideouts to both sides of the field, whereas some cornerbacks play in defensive schemes that keep them relegated to one side or the other, regardless of which pass catchers line up where.
ALL the latest Packers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Packers newsletter here!
Adams, who was named an All-Pro for the second straight season and is considered arguably the best wide receiver in the game, sent an unsolicited response of support to Slay Friday after reading his message.
@bigplay24slay AND u travel!!! All over the field! Always have respected u for that 👍🏾
“AND u travel!!! All over the field!” Adams tweeted in response to Slay. “Always have respected u for that 👍🏾.”
Adams Has History Of Showing Love To Opponents He Respects
GettyJustin Jefferson, of the Minnesota Vikings, celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.
Slay is not the first opponent Adams has praised publicly.
Just last month, the Packers wide receiver took to Twitter to show love to his pass catching counterpart and rival Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson.
Start paying a lot of attention to @JJettas2 if you haven’t already. If you have, pay more.
“Start paying a lot of attention to @JJettas2 if you haven’t already,” Adams wrote on December 8. “If you have, pay more.”
Adams’ comments came just a few weeks after he first spoke publicly of the respect he has for Jefferson’s skills.
“I see a six-year vet when I watch him play,” Adams told the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood a few days ahead of the teams’ first regular season game on Sunday, November 21. “Last year, he looked like he was already in his fourth season.”
Respect begets respect where Adams has been concerned, with Jefferson sending some back his way during an interview on the Pat McAfee Show in January 2020.
“The best train with the best. Of course, I want to train with the top guys of the league,” Jefferson said. I’ve talked to Davante Adams, talked to Stefon Diggs, Odell [Beckham Jr]. Talking to those different guys, I definitely want to train with them and see all the information they can give to me to help my game out.”
Adams Named All-Pro For Second Consecutive Year in 2021
GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams is looking for a new contract this offseason.
Adams likely appreciates the love Jefferson sent his way in the McAfee interview, but the Green Bay wide receiver needs no words to validate what is likely already a Hall of Fame career.
How Adams’ NFL experience would play out was far from a certainty early in his professional tenure. The wide receiver started slow after the Packers drafted him in 2014, catching just 4 TD passes over the course of his first two seasons. He took a leap in year three, however, grabbing 75 catches for 997 yards and finding the end zone 12 times, per Pro Football Reference. And he never looked back.
Adams has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the five seasons since that leap and was named a First-Team All-Pro for second consecutive year on Friday, by a unanimous vote no less. Adams led the NFL with 18 receiving touchdowns in 2020, then followed up that effort by setting franchise records in Green Bay for catches (123) and receiving yards (1,553) in a single season in 2021.
Due for a new deal this offseason, Adams is expected to sign the richest wide receiver contract in the NFL. It is hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve it.