For a player who forced his way to a new team over the offseason, Davante Adams still talks about the Green Bay Packers with an unusual level of frequency.
On two separate occasions over the summer, Adams made bizarre comparisons between his former quarterback, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, and his new quarterback Derek Carr, framing them as equals on the gridiron and then referring to people who took those comments literally as “idiots.”
Now, Adams has taken to calling out Packers fans as he has struggled to produce in recent weeks, and the Las Vegas Raiders (0-3) have failed to win a game.
“All the Green Bay people will definitely still be on that, trying to compare the stats and all that,” Adams told reporters, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “But we’re not doing this thing for stats at the end of the day.”
Adams’ Numbers Have Nosedived With Raiders Compared to Packers
GettyLas Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (left) and wide receiver Davante Adams (right) have struggled to get on the same page since Week 1.
In fairness to Adams, he’s right. The Raiders, like every other team in the NFL, aren’t playing for stats, they’re playing for wins. But as of yet, those haven’t come either.
After a stellar opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, in which Adams made 10 catches for 141 yards and scored a touchdown, the Adams-Carr connection has produced little of note. Carr has targeted Adams just 17 times over the previous two outings, and the receiver has tallied just seven receptions for 48 yards.
At his current pace, Adams would net a total of 96 catches for 1,071 yards, assuming he plays all 17 games. Last season in Green Bay, he caught 123 passes for 1,553 yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Adams again invoked the name of the Packers’ quarterback on Wednesday when offering explanations for why he and Carr have been so much less successful than he and Rodgers were last season in Green Bay.
Nobody gets played like how I get played in the National Football League. Obviously, we played professional ball together — Aaron and I — longer than what me and Derek have, so it kind of was a little bit more gradual than what this was. [Derek and I] jumped straight into the fire, had a few one-on-one opportunities in the first week and got 17 targets. So now, people are changing it up, obviously, and we’ve got to change some stuff up too.
[There is] not going to be a whole lot of times where [defenses are] just going to go one high man and single up the corner. In a perfect world, we would love that, but it’s going to be different because in the past when that happened, we found a way to find the one-on-one matchup. It’s going to be a lot more cloud [coverage] and double-teams and different things like that with a lot more attention to me. … So, a little bit of an adjustment, but whatever everybody else is talking about has nothing to do with what’s actually going on.
Adams Has Undersold Difference Between Rodgers And Carr
GettyWide receiver Davante Adams (left) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) of the Green Bay Packers celebrate a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during a game at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Adams is generally considered one of the best, if not the very best, wide receiver in all of the NFL. As such, he does garner more attention from opposing defenses than most, but it isn’t like that wasn’t also true during his five straight Pro-Bowl seasons in Green Bay.
The biggest difference from one year to the next is the change at quarterback from Rodgers to Carr, which flies in the face of the puzzling comments Adams made over the offseason when comparing the two. He first did so in June when asked if there was a disparity in skill between the players.
“As far as talent and ability it’s really similar, if I’m keeping it real,” Adams said.
Then, in late July, Adams equated the quarterbacks again, this time implying that both Rodgers and Carr have produced Hall of Fame-caliber careers.
“Any time you change QBs from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer … it’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment,” Adams told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports HQ. “Both are great players and great to be around, so I’m just enjoying that process and getting better myself.”
Rodgers responded with a minor dig at Adams and Carr, clearly made in lighthearted jest, when he referred to Allen Lazard as a Hall of Famer after Rodgers was asked by reporters about the transition at the top of the Packers’ receiver room.
Green Bay’s passing game has suffered in production since Adams’ departure, though the Packers have still found a way to win, boasting a record of 2-1 through three games — something Adams, Carr and the rest of the Raiders remain unable to claim as Week 4 of the season approaches.
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Davante Adams Calls Out Packers Fans After Slow Start With Raiders