Davante Adams Says Aaron Rodgers' Status Led Him to Push for Trade to Raiders
June 9, 2022
The uncertainty surrounding quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a driving factor in wide receiver Davante Adams' desire to leave the Green Bay Packers.
Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported Adams said being unsure about Rodgers' timeline with the Packers was "a big factor" in pushing to be traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Adams also said he is "having the time of [his] life" with Las Vegas.
Rodgers recently opened up about his future and told reporters he will "definitely" retire with the Packers even though he is taking things year by year and isn't sure how much longer he will play.
Green Bay and the future Hall of Famer agreed to a four-year, $200 million contract extension in March, but it wasn't that long ago the partnership seemed to be on the verge of ending. During the offseason before the 2021 campaign, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Rodgers didn't want to return to the Packers.
He ended up skipping the team's offseason programs before returning for training camp.
The uncertainty now is less about whether Rodgers will lace up for another team and more about how much longer he will lace them up at all. He told TNT's Ernie Johnson this offseason he thinks about retirement "all the time" and can "definitely see the end coming."
Adams is just 29 years old and likely is much further from retirement than Rodgers.
Not only did the quarterback's contract extension make keeping the wide receiver that much more difficult from a cap perspective, but Adams also apparently wanted some more stability as he enters the next stage of his career.
That will come in the form of playing alongside college teammate Derek Carr on the Raiders. It also doesn't hurt that Las Vegas gave him a five-year, $141.25 million contract after it traded for him.
The Raiders now have one of the best wide receivers in the league who has five Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections. He led the league with 18 touchdown catches in 2020 and surpassed 1,300 receiving yards in three of the last four years.
Putting up those numbers without Rodgers may be more difficult, but he at least doesn't have to worry about some of the question marks surrounding the quarterback's future.