The Green Bay Packers enter the 2022 NFL season with plenty of doubts about their receiving corps. They lost Davante Adams and left Aaron Rodgers with little to nothing to work with going forward. At least before trading up to landChristian Watson.
Adams didn’t want to play under the franchise tag and had the opportunity to reunite with his best friend and college QB Derek Carr. He turned down more money from Green Bay because he felt he could build something special in Las Vegas.
Now, weeks after the trade went down, Rodgers finally spoke up and shared his thoughts on the situation. Per number 12, it was ‘a little surprising’ to find out that Adams wanted to leave the team.
NFL News: Aaron Rodgers Was Surprised By Davante Adams’ Decision
“Obviously, when I made my decision I was still thinking he was going to come back,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I was very honest with him about my plans and my future and where I saw my career going, as far as how many years I want to play. But I felt like he was going to be back. Didn’t obviously turn out that way, but I have so much love for ‘Tae and appreciate the time we spent together and definitely wish him the best in Derek [Carr] in Vegas. But that’s a big hole to fill, for sure.”
Rodgers Knew Adams Could Leave
Even so, it wasn’t like Rodgers was completely blindsided by this situation. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Rodgers was aware of Adams’ desire to leave when he agreed to come back:
“According to sources, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was aware of Adams’ disconnect with the team,” Schneidman reported.“One source said Rodgers knew this was coming even before he signed his new contract with Green Bay, though another source close to the situation added that Rodgers still believed Adams would remain a Packer in 2022.”
Now, the Packers will need to make plenty of adjustments to their passing game after also losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But if someone can work his magic regardless of who’s catching the football, that’s AR12.
