Cory's Corner: Davante Adams Left Green Bay Out Of Fear

There is no denying that Davante Adams is one of the best wideouts in the game. His route-running is flawless, his hands are amazing and he has great speed and amazing instincts as well. 

But this really surprised me from Adams on Thursday. “I 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 (Rodgers) not being there after a year or two.”

I read through that a couple times and the one word that kept coming into my mind was stats. Not Super Bowls, titles or wins. 

Adams wanted to play with his former college teammate in quarterback Derek Carr. Going to Las Vegas is much closer to where he grew up in Northern California. Those things are all fine and good. 

But what I’m reading is that Adams left Green Bay out of fear. He left because he was afraid that Rodgers was going to retire after 2022 or 2023 — which very well may be the case — and he would not achieve the same numbers. 

Adams will turn 30 in December. The Raiders gave him a five-year, $141.25 million contract. They expect him to play like a top five receiver for the majority of that deal. 

But if Adams was afraid of Rodgers not staying in Green Bay for the duration of his deal, does he need to change his Raiders expectations? I think Carr is a solid quarterback, but he’s not on the same field as Rodgers. In eight seasons, Carr has averaged 3,962 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has had a completion percentage over 65 four times. In 17 seasons, Rodgers has averaged 3,256 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has had a completion percentage over 65 eight times. 

Adams knew that he wouldn’t have been able to keep up his level of play if Rodgers wasn’t there. And it’s not because of anything team related, it all comes back to what Adams himself was able to do. 

I can’t say that I don’t get it. NFL money, especially at a complementary position like wide receiver, is completely based on individual stats. That focus shifts when you talk about quarterbacks, because then, rings and leadership get brought up. 

Even if Rodgers was able to stay for another five years, it was probably best that Adams went elsewhere. The Packers want to win now. They are tired of tallying 13-win seasons and advancing to NFC Championship Games. They want to bring home another ticker tape parade to Green Bay.

Seeing Adams succeed was a byproduct of all that winning. That doesn’t take away from what Adams accomplished or what kind of an amazing athlete he is. 

You can covet the receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and catch percentage.

But just remember one thing: the team always comes first.