Davante Adams joins the Raiders and superstar loaded AFC West
Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a new contract this off-season, so naturally, the NFL world was waiting for the best receiver in the league, Davante Adams, to sign his. Things did not work out as everyone expected.
Davante Adams is a Las Vegas Raider as of March 17, 2022. That doesn’t even sound real.
The official announcement took the league by storm and many are still reeling from it. After it was confirmed that the 2x reigning MVP Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was returning to the Green Bay Packers it was assumed that there was no way his favorite weapon, Davante Adams, wouldn’t return.
Reports have surfaced that Rodgers knew it was a possibility Adams would not be returning while he negotiated his own contract.
It was rumored that Adams wanted to be the highest-paid receiver in the league and who could blame him considering the numbers he put up. While catching passes from arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time Adams put up multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons and recorded double-digit touchdowns in five of his last six seasons.
In 2021 Adams was ranked 2nd in receptions with 123, 3rd in yards with 1,553, and fifth in touchdowns with 11. As they say, stats don’t lie.
The Packers still placed their singular franchise tag on Adams at the beginning of free agency to which Adams responded that he would not be playing under the tag. Constant offseason rumors floated about regarding Adams’ mutual desire with Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr to reunite. The two were college teammates at Fresno State and tore apart the record books with their connection. The two had to wait 8 seasons but it happened.
Davante Adams is officially a Raider after signing a groundbreaking contract for 5 years, totaling $141.3 million dollars. Additionally, the Raiders had to send the Packers their 2022 1st and 2nd round pick. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN Green Bay offered Adams an identical contract but Adams “preferred to play elsewhere.”
The Raiders may be without their top picks for the 2022 season but they now have an offensive weapon that has never come close to gracing their locker room.
One of the chief complaints about Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr is that he has never been given the proper offensive arsenal he deserved. While they went through seasons with Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson (the intention of using Antonio Brown), and others, it could still be argued Carr has never had a true, #1 caliber receiver. Now he has one.
An offense of Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Josh Jacobs sounds pretty menacing now.
What makes this that much sweeter for the Raiders is that the chemistry was developed almost a decade ago at Fresno State, so this duo should be ready to shake up the AFC immediately in September.
What also makes this transaction that much more incredible is that Adams picked Derek Carr.
He was offered a contract that would allow him to continue playing with Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever do it. Adams wanted the longevity, leadership, and ability of Carr.
The Green Bay Packers have an abundance of picks to reload their offense and make a push in the NFC, and will still remain competitive with Aaron Rodgers throwing the football. The Raiders are making an all-out blitz approach to free agency and fans of the Silver and Black should be cheering from their living rooms right now.
Head Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler are not taking a cautious approach to this season but are making an immediate impact. They are here, Las Vegas is for real, and the AFC West in particular will be an absolute warzone. But for now, let’s just emphasize the history that has been made.
Davante Adams is the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, and he is a Las Vegas Raider.