Raiders' Davante Adams: I 'Didn't Need Aaron Rodgers' to Become All-Pro in 2022

At the team level, Davante Adams didn't enjoy the heights he hit with the Green Bay Packers in 2022. The Las Vegas Raiders star was at least satisfied he thrived without Aaron Rodgers.

He was an All-Pro for the third straight season after catching 100 passes for 1,516 yards and an NFL-best 14 touchdowns.

"That'll never be the narrative ever again," Adams told The Ringer's Mirin Fader of the idea that a disproportionate amount of his success was owed to Rodgers. "It proved that I am me. A quarterback doesn't make me. … I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level."

The 30-year-old added how his first season in Las Vegas "meant a lot."

"Even if I went and played like dog s--t next year, they can't say it," he said. "Because now I've already proved it throughout the course of a season, played every game, and put together a resume that says I do not need...you can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn't need Aaron Rodgers."

The comments provide more context for why Adams sought an exit from Green Bay last offseason. He had already cited the lingering uncertainty over Rodgers' future as one factor.

Adams signing a five-year, $140 million extension with the Raiders reflected his elite status. He was briefly the highest-paid receiver in NFL history until Tyreek Hill got $120 million over four years from the Miami Dolphins.

Still, some fans probably thought Adams' production was tied to playing with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

If anything, the 2022 campaign made a compelling case that Rodgers needed Adams rather than the other way around. His 3,695 passing yards were his fewest ever over a full season, and his 39.3 QBR was a career low, per Pro Football Reference.

In December, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler spoke to an NFL personnel executive who said trading Adams and effectively replacing him with 2022 second-round pick Christian Watson "did not work" for the Packers.

"For Rodgers' peace of mind, you keep [Adams]," the exec said. "Green Bay perhaps didn't realize what their identity was, which is Rodgers to Davante. That was the offense when they needed a play."

I's still fair to question how much Adams alone impacts winning and losing more broadly. The Raiders finished 6-11 and third in the AFC West last season, after all.

But there's no doubt about what he brings to the table as a pass-catcher.