Reunited, and it feels so good!
It has just been announced that the Raiders have agreed to trade Davante Adams to the New York Jets on Oct. 15. The Las Vegas Raiders will receive a conditional third-round pick that can turn into a second-round pick based on how well Adams plays.
The saga is finally over, but it was always going to play out like this. Adams was bound to be teammates with Aaron Rodgers again — it just took a little longer than expected.
Adams never wanted to leave Rodgers. He wanted to get paid and be the highest-paid receiver — and he was probably tired of living in Wisconsin — but he knew at least for his career’s sake, his best bet was to stay with Rodgers. When they were teammates, there might not have been a more feared quarterback-receiver tandem. Adams spent eight seasons with the Packers playing with A-Rod. From 2014 to 2021, they combined for 615 completions, 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. This was also the NFL’s second-most prolific tandem over that span, only trailing Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. His best season came in 2020, where he led the league with 18 touchdowns; Green Bay went 13-3, and Rodgers won his third MVP. So it’s obvious: Adams loves to play with Rodgers and vice versa — Rodgers got his favorite target back. The real question is: will this move save the Jets’ crumbling season?
It has been a wild month for the Jets. On Oct. 6., they went to London — and Rodgers played arguably the worst game of his career, throwing only three interceptions. Two days later, On Oct. 8, they fired their head coach Robert Salah, which sparked a media firestorm. On Oct.9 they announced that Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers’ bestie and his offensive coordinator, would be demoted from calling plays. Then, on Oct. 14 on Monday Night Football, the Jets once again stunk it up and played terrible football. They had chance after chance to win this game, but they couldn’t close the deal. They missed multiple field goal attempts in the second half that would have given them leads in both instances. Then — with one final drive to win the game — Rodgers throws another game-sealing interception, his fifth of the season so far.
It is officially panic time in New York — which is probably why this trade was made.
The Jets need hope. They need a savior. And most of all, they needed the OK from Rodgers. Adams was the only person who could potentially check all these boxes, but will it work? Adams is three years older, and so is Rodgers. Rodgers is also fresh off of an Achilles injury and still doesn’t resemble the MVP we know him to be. But with a head coach already fired — and another coach demoted — the Jets were running out of changes to make. Now it’s time to stop looking outside for a fix and start looking inwardly.
It’s funny: the Jets’ biggest issue hasn’t been addressed at all: the lack of leadership from their franchise QB. But then again, maybe that’s another reason they brought in Adams. He is the only one with enough gumption to call out Rodgers because of their deep friendship, and that might be the best attribute Adams will bring to the team. If someone that Rodgers respects can come in and hold him accountable, that just might be what’s needed to save the Jets and this season.
