Is Davante Adams following Aaron Rodgers' footsteps? Family doesn't rule out career change
Davante Adams will play with another starting quarterback after the Las Vegas Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.75 million contract. The team let go of Derek Carr, who was also Adams’ quarterback at Fresno State.
He also played with Aaron Rodgers for eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers. But though they are not teammates anymore, the three-time First Team All-Pro wideout might follow the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s career path.
Adams’ obsession with golf was put to light by The Ringer’s Mirin Fader. He plays the game three to four times a week because he likes its mental nature and that success depends on his performance alone.
His fascination for the sport led his friends and family to joke that he might try professional golf once he’s done playing football.
The six-time Pro Bowler also said in the article:
“It’s such an imperfect sport, even more so than football is. You’ll never be where you want to be.”
If he does pursue this path, it will take time before Davante Adams becomes a professional golfer. He is still under a five-year, $141.25 million contract he signed during the 2022 offseason, making him a free agent after the 2026 NFL season. Getting another contract after that will depend on his performance over the next four years.
However, he has proven that he can thrive regardless of who throws the ball to him. Adams became a 2022 First Team All-Pro member without playing under Rodgers’ shadow. He became only the sixth wide receiver in NFL history to have two consecutive 1,500-yard seasons.
His three consecutive First Team All-Pro nods are also two shy of Jerry Rice’s record, achieving first-team honors from 1992 to 1996.
But while succeeding without his first NFL quarterback, he might find inspiration from Aaron Rodgers on what to do next after football.
Davante Adams might take a page off the Aaron Rodgers playbook
Rodgers will be under immense pressure as he becomes the new starting quarterback of the New York Jets. The Green Bay Packers granted his wish to play for New York’s AFC squad by trading him before the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite having a young and talented roster around him, his transfer has risks involved. The Jets last entered the postseason in 2010 and are playing in one of the league’s toughest divisions. Rodgers and the Jets will also have the sixth most challenging strength of schedule in 2023, per NFL Research.
But during the offseason, Davante Adams’ former teammate won the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with Ben Silverman last February. They shot 26 under, one better than Don Colleran and Peter Malnati.
Rodgers also won two editions of “The Match.” He won The Match IV with Bryson DeChambeau against Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson. A year later, he collaborated with Brady to defeat Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
Given his fascination for golf, Davante Adams would also like the same achievements. But before he trades the gridiron for the fairway, he will want to achieve a Super Bowl victory to complete his football career.