In one of the craziest NFL offseasons of all time, the Packers had no option but to trade star wideout Davante Adams, who made clear his intentions totake his talents to the West Coast.
Green Bay looked ready to extend his contract, making an offer that others wouldn’t dare to refuse. However, Adams’ desire to team up with former college teammate Derek Carr and to move with his family to Las Vegas seemed to matter more than anything else.
A few months after the blockbuster trade, Adams added another reason behind his desire to leave. While his relationship with Aaron Rodgers continues to be great, the wide receiver said the doubts around his future drove him away from Green Bay.
Davante Adams suggests he preferred to leave Packers before Aaron Rodgers retired
“[Rodgers and I] talked throughout the whole process,” Adams said, as quoted by ProFootballTalk. “He was aware of where I stood and I was aware of where he stood. And we had talks. Just like what he said the other day, we had talks about his future and what he thinks his duration in Green Bay or just football in general would look like.
“And that played into my decision as well because where I am in my career — and this isn’t a shot at any other quarterbacks in Green Bay. I love Jordan Love especially, he’s a great guy. But I’ve got aspirations of doing really, really big things and being remembered. And it just wasn’t really a point in my career that I was willing to sacrifice Aaron not being there after a year or two. So my decision was to be here and he respected that, he understood that.”
Rodgers returned to the Packers signing a three-year extension, but even he admits that doesn’t guarantee he won’t retire sooner. Painful as it may be for every Packer, Adams didn’t want to risk being left without Rodgers. Now he hopes to bring back the good old days with Carr to the NFL.