Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
2022 represented the first season of Davante Adams’ career that he didn’t get to play with four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the Green Bay Packers for an entire season. Without the future Hall of Famer throwing him the ball, Adams had 1,516 receiving yards and led the NFL with 14 touchdowns. He earned First-Team All-Pro honors for his efforts in 2022.
The Las Vegas Raiders missed the playoffs after going 6-11, but Adams proved he’s an elite wide receiver regardless of who his quarterback is. Despite the strong season, there are many who believe that Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the league. Pro Football Network and CBS Sports have both ranked Jefferson as the No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL.
However, there are those who don’t believe Adams has been surpassed. Former Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad Johnson said in a June 26 tweet that there isn’t a wide receiver better than Adams right now.
“Nobody has unseated Davante Adams, Jefferson & [Ja’Marr] Chase are immensely talented & are up next easily but how y’all just pass up on those who’ve been doing it consistently longer is disrespectful,” Johnson wrote in the tweet.
Is Davante Adams Still the Best WR in the NFL?
Justin Jefferson had more receiving yards than Davante Adams last season (1,809 to 1,516) and was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. 2022 wasn’t an anomaly for Jefferson as he had 1,400 receiving yards in 2020 and 1,616 in 2021. He has proven himself to be one of the best overall players in the league.
That said, he still hasn’t become the consensus No. 1 wide receiver to some people. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus ranked all of the top wide receivers in the NFL in a May 25 column. Despite Jefferson’s dominant season, Monson still has Adams ranked at the top.
“The masses think Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL, but I see no white towel thrown in on Adams’ career,” Monson wrote. “Last season, his first without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Adams caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns, six more than Jefferson. He averaged 2.45 yards per route run, and over the past three seasons he leads the NFL in PFF receiving grade (94.5) and yards per route run (2.67), with Jefferson placing second in each category. Adams remains the king of receivers until somebody topples him.”
Davante Adams Could Be in for a Down Year
While Davante Adams had success outside of Aaron Rodgers, he still had a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback throwing him the ball in Derek Carr. This season, Jimmy Garoppolo is the Raiders’ projected starter and he has never made the Pro Bowl. Caesars has set Adams’ over/under for receiving yards in 2023 at 1,325.5. In a June 29 column, Pro Football Focus’ Judah Fortgang projected the wide receiver to go under that total.
“Perhaps the biggest change for Adams is that the team moved on from Derek Carr and downgraded to Jimmy Garoppolo, whose health is in question coming off another offseason foot surgery. The team’s backup is journeyman Brian Hoyer,” Fortgang wrote.
Less than 1,325.5 receiving yards would be his fewest since the 2019 season where he played in 12 games and had 997 yards.