"Thought I was going to the Panthers" - Davante Adams reveals how his dynamic partnership with Aaron Rodgers almost never came to fruition
Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams both understand the unpredictability of the NFL Draft. Every player who attends gains first-hand experience of the myriad of possibilities and surprises that always occur over the three-day period.
With the difference of one draft pick, a player's destination could change by a thousand miles and the length of their career. It can be the difference between winning a Super Bowl and never making the big game.
Their relationships, real estate and day-to-day lifestyles are also decided that weekend. Davante Adams was originally expected to land with the Carolina Panthers. If that had happened, the Rodgers-Adams connection would never have developed. Here's what he said in an interview with the official Raiders social media team:
“I was projected to go first, second, third round—but there was a lot of teams that were interested in me in the first. So had the ESPN camera crews come to the crib. Everybody there. Had a bunch of my family at the house."
Jaire Alexander's new deal includes $31M in the first year, and a record $30M signing bonus. Big money. As a reward, #Packers not only retain an All-Pro caliber corner, but avoid another Davante Adams situation by getting the deal done early.
He continued, saying the apartment was stuffed, and he was surprised by what was happening in the draft:
"My mom’s small apartment, we packin’ that thing out. Right out the gate, I keep hearing all these names called. Bunch of receivers. It’s a lot of receivers going early and I don’t hear my name. And I’m like, ‘Okay, this is weird.’ Couple of teams said they [were] interested in me, picking not even receivers."
Made this point in today’s story. This wasn’t a Davante Adams OR Jaire Alexander thing. Packers could’ve afforded both. But if you’re choosing one to give a big payday to, a corner who can stop WRs like Adams are probably more valuable than WRs like that, as dominant as 17 is. twitter.com/mikedugar/stat…
Towards the end of the round, the wide receiver had already checked out, telling people to leave. He continued:
“So now I’m like, now I’m getting nervous. And we get to the end, I think at 28, I thought I was going to the Carolina Panthers. That’s who talked to me the most. They picked Kelvin Benjamin. I took my earpiece out, everything. I’m telling people to leave.”
Davante Adams' career with Aaron Rodgers
The wide receiver wasn't selected by the Panthers. With the 53rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Packers selected him. From there, it took him three years to develop into the leading piece of the wide receiver room.
In his rookie season, Adams caught 38 passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns. In 2015, he caught 50 passes for 483 yards and one touchdown. However, in his third year, he caught 75 receptions for 997 yards and 12 touchdowns. It was the first of six years of dominance with the Packers.
Over the next several years, he had three seasons in which he earned at least 1350 yards and 11 touchdowns. The most recent two seasons of his career have arguably been his best, earning 238 catches, nearly 3000 yards, and 29 touchdowns.
Having moved from Wisconsin to Las Vegas, it will be fascinating to see how he fares when he teams up with his old college quarterback Derek Carr.