A lot of NFL players like to talk on the field, but not all of them back it up.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams is more than just an exception to that rule. The wideout is so talented and so productive, in fact, that his opponents often read even his compliments as trash talk, which it then becomes — at least, that’s what happened with Cleveland Browns Pro-Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward.
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Accolade or Insult?
GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams taking a moment to think about his NFL future.
The Packers hosted the Browns on Christmas Day and held them off to the tune of a 24-22 victory. The win went a long way toward cementing Green Bay’s status as the No. 1 seed in the NFC and facilitated an essentially two-week vacation period as the team prepares for what would be a three-game run to a Super Bowl title.
The outcome also effectively ended the Browns season, as they were eliminated from playoff contention the next week before even getting to take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Adams did typical Adams things throughout the night, catching 10 passes for a total of 114 yards and 2 TDs. Ward, like many Browns defensive backs that day, was a victim of the wide receiver’s prowess. With that as the contextual backdrop, the ESPN Instagram account on Tuesday, January 4, posted details of an exchange between Adams and Ward that could be a read in two different ways — as a compliment or as a jab.
“You’re a good player bro,” Adams said to Ward.
“You can’t tell me that after you just caught a ball on me,” Ward said in response.
“Alright, I won’t say anything then,” Adams responded back. “I make a play on everybody.”
Adams Really Does Make Plays on Everybody
GettyDavante Adams, of the Green Bay Packers, catches the ball during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Based on Ward’s assessment of when it is and isn’t okay for Adams to compliment his opponents, the All-Pro wide receiver can basically never give props to anyone who lines up against him.
With one game left to play in the regular season, Adams stands just 22 yards shy of former Green Bay wideout Jordy Nelson’s single-season franchise record for receiving yards. Adams has amassed 1,498 yards through 15 games played in 2021, while also setting a career high of 117 receptions to go along with 11 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
Adams has often done that work against the best defenders teams can throw at him. His track record of success and the danger he poses to opponents has long since ceased being a secret, as the wide receiver was selected to his fifth consecutive Pro-Bowl this season after being named an NFL All-Pro for the first time in 2020.
Ward, too, was named a Pro-Bowler this season — the second time he has earned the accolade during his four-year stint in Cleveland — and is in line for a contract extension that will pay him as one of the top players at his position in the entire league.
Adams is also looking for a new deal this offseason that will make him the highest paid wideout in the game, and putting up performances like the one he posted this Christmas against a player as talented and sought after as Ward would seemingly go a long way toward making that happen.
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Packers’ Davante Adams Clowns Browns Pro Bowler in Hilarious Exchange