Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
Throughout the first eight years of his career, Davante Adams got to play with Aaron Rodgers, who is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. The two formed one of the league’s most lethal duos over the past several seasons and won a lot of games. Despite that, Adams forced a trade to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason so he could play with Derek Carr.
It didn’t have to do with money as the Green Bay Packers were willing to give Adams a bigger contract than the Raiders did. Rodgers has lost arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL and the Packers haven’t replaced him with anybody notable. The quarterback had a chance to open up about Adams leaving and made it clear that there are no hard feelings.
“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 and live and raise his family,” Rodgers said following Tuesday’s minicamp practice, via Madison.com. “The team obviously stepped up and made a competitive or even more compelling offer.
“Ultimately, Davante thought it was best for him and his family to be in Vegas. So that was tough, for sure. But I love Tae and love our connection.”
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Adams Wanted to Be in Las Vegas
Rodgers obviously wasn’t thrilled about Adams leaving. He’s 38-years-old and would love to have an elite wide receiver to play with in his final years. While he tried to see if he could make it work with Adams in Green Bay, he understands why he wanted to go out to Las Vegas.
“I asked him at the end, I said, ‘What can I do for you?’ And he said he wanted to go to Vegas. So, I said, ‘All right,’” Rodgers said.
“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 hard for sure, but when you love somebody and you care about somebody like that, ultimately you want them to be happy. And he felt like, I think, he was going to be happier in Vegas with him and his family being close to the family and on the West Coast.”
Adams Appears Happier Than Ever
Adams had some great years in Green Bay but the East Palo Alto, California, native wanted to be closer to home. While Las Vegas isn’t as close to his hometown as Oakland is, it’ll be much easier for his family and friends from home to make the trip. Though he has yet to take a snap in a Raiders uniform yet, Adams appears quite happy with his decision to get traded.
He’s been all smiles at OTAs and is frequently seen paling around with Carr. There’s no doubt the Raiders are just happy to have him.
READ NEXT: Proposed Trade Has Raiders Taking ‘Big Swing’ on 3-Time Pro Bowler