Davante Adams shifted his NFL career onto a new path this offseason when he requested a trade from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders, but Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin doesn’t know if he could have made the same decision to leave behind a quarterback of Aaron Rodgers’ caliber.
Irvin recently spoke with the New York Post about the massive contracts that have been handed out to two of the league’s top wideouts — Adams and Tyreek Hill — over the first month of the 2022 league year, saying that he is “happy” to see them push the boundaries of the NFL’s highest-paid receiver as the salary cap continues to rise.
For both receivers, though, Irvin seemed surprised that either of them would willingly leave behind their original systems and the future Hall of Fame quarterbacks that helped them ascend into elite territory. He also questioned whether he could have made the same decision for the sake of a payday when he was playing with Troy Aikman for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1980s and 1990s.
“You left Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes — I don’t know if I could’ve ever left Troy Aikman,” Irvin said with the Post noting that he could be heard shaking his head over the phone during the interview. “I don’t think I could’ve done that.”
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Irvin Worries Adams’ Move Could Backfire
Irvin made it clear he is rooting for Adams and Hill to continue to thrive in their new environments, and there are plenty of reasons to think both could. Adams has a built-in connection with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr from their years together in college, while Hill’s lightning-fast speed could easily become the missing ingredient in Miami that helps Tua Tagovailoa finally break out in his third year as an NFL starter.
If the plan backfires and Adams and Hill are unable to make the same impact as they did with their former teams and quarterbacks, though, Irvin worries they could find themselves in similar situations as Amari Cooper in a matter of years.
Here are Irvin’s extended comments on Adams’ and Hills’ situations:
You can still go live there in your house in the offseason, but I’m not leaving those quarterbacks. Let’s see how this plays out. You’re making $30 million and you can have houses in two places. I think the most important thing is taking care of what’s on the football field.
They had some great quarterbacks. I’m interested in seeing how it works out with Tua and Carr, but it’s surely not Mahomes and Rodgers. If you make that move, do you shorten the time you’re making $30 million a year because all of a sudden, you’re not making the same impact? This is a meritocracy. If you’re not putting up the numbers to support that $30 million, they’ll come for you, just like Dallas did with Amari Cooper and his $20 million. It would’ve been hard for me to make a business decision on leaving those quarterbacks.
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Michael Irvin Sounds Off on Davante Adams Leaving Packers