Derek Carr had been trying to get his good friend Davante Adams to join him with the Las Vegas Raiders for several years before the star wide receiver was finally dealt to the AFC West franchise by the Green Bay Packers earlier this offseason.
Carr tried to get Adams to join him with the Raiders in 2017 before Adams signed a four-year extension with the Packers.
Playing with Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest NFL players of all time, is obviously a tough situation to leave.
That’s why a comment from Rodgers to Adams earlier this spring was an important part of Adams’ decision to leave Green Bay.
Adams chose to leave Green Bay in part because he wanted to be closer to family and raise his kids on the west coast. But what about playing with Rodgers?
Well, Adams was finally ready to give that up because he sensed that Rodgers is near the end of his career.
A conversation where Rodgers told Adams that he was indeed feeling like his time in Green Bay would be over soon was part of what convinced Adams to head west.
From ESPN:
HE (ADAMS) HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH AARON RODGERS, AND EVEN THOUGH SOURCES INDICATE IT WAS OCCASIONALLY DIFFICULT FOR THE TWO TO CONNECT DURING THE OFFSEASON, THE PACKERS QUARTERBACK, WHO HAD SIGNED A NEW THREE-YEAR CONTRACT, SUGGESTED HIS TIME IN GREEN BAY WAS NEARING AN END AND THAT ADAMS SHOULD MAKE THE DECISION THAT WAS BEST FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY.
ADAMS ULTIMATELY ASKED THE PACKERS FOR A TRADE EVEN THOUGH THEY OFFERED HIM WHAT HE ADMITS WAS A BIGGER CONTRACT THAN THE FIVE-YEAR, $141.25 MILLION DEAL HE SIGNED WITH THE RAIDERS.
That message from Rodgers to Adams seems to indicate that the future Hall of Fame quarterback won’t be finishing out the three-year contract he signed with the Packers earlier this offseason.
Otherwise, he probably would’ve tried harder to convince Adams to stay.
I applaud Rodgers, however, for not leading Adams on.
He could’ve told him that he was sticking around for a few more years to try to convince Adams to stay.
But instead, Rodgers did the right thing and was honest — even though it robbed him of his top target.
Losing Adams hurt the Packers’ offense. But some things are bigger than football.
And it’s certainly understandable that Adams desperately wanted to get closer to his family.
