Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
While the rest of the NFL world reacted to the news of Davante Adams getting traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, the wide receiver himself stayed silent. He didn’t share any first reaction right when the news broke or anything of that nature. He likely did that out of respect for the Green Bay Packers and their fan base.
There will be plenty of time to celebrate joining the Raiders, Adams made sure to send a message to the Packers and Green Bay before talking too much about his next step. On his Instagram, he sent a farewell post to the team that drafted him back in 2014.
Adams gave the Packers eight seasons and made the Pro Bowl in five of them. He’s one of the best wide receivers to play for a franchise that’s had quite a few. Though things didn’t end on the best note, that shouldn’t diminish the fact that he consistently played hard for the team. As he alluded to in the post, it’s time to get to work with the Raiders.
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Aaron Rodgers Was Aware Adams Could Leave
Much of the narrative surrounded Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the Adams trade news broke. Why would the wide receiver want to leave the back-to-back MVP and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time? We may never get a definitive answer but Rodgers was aware that Adams could leave before he signed his recent contract extension with the team, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman:
According to sources, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was aware of Adams’ disconnect with the team. One source said Rodgers knew this was coming even before he signed his new contract with Green Bay, though another source close to the situation added that Rodgers still believed Adams would remain a Packer in 2022. After all, Adams said himself he wanted to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, and sources say the Packers were willing to exceed DeAndre Hopkins’ $27.25 million average annual salary to do that.
Why Rodgers would be so willing to accept a contract extension without a guarantee that he was getting his best weapon back seems bizarre. Regardless, the quarterback wanted to get paid that’s what happened.
Adams Wanted to Be a Raider
While it’s notable that Adams ditched Rdogers for Derek Carr, this move likely wasn’t a referendum on the Packers’ quarterback. The wide receiver is from Northern California and likely watched a lot of Raiders games growing up. Though the team is now in Las Vegas, he’s still much closer to home. Obviously, Green Bay, Wisconsin, isn’t as glamourous as Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the end of the day, Adams wanted to be a Raider, he wanted to be Las Vegas and he wanted to play with his Fresno State teammate Carr. Plus, he got paid the money he wanted. The Packers now have a void at wide receiver but they have plenty of money and draft capital to figure it out. Things should work out for both sides in the end.
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Davante Adams Breaks Silence on Trade to Raiders