Prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season, Green Bay Packers stars Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams each posted the same picture on their respective Instagram accounts. It was a famous photo of Chicago Bulls legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen that was used for the popular documentary, The Last Dance.
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The message was clear: 2021 was the last season that Adams and Rodgers would play together for the Packers.
And what a season it was! Adams set the Packers’ franchise records for receptions (123) and receiving yards (1,553) while also hauling in 11 touchdowns. Rodgers won his fourth NFL MVP Award (and second in a row) by throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns, just four interceptions, and a passer rating of 111.9.
Unfortunately, an embarrassing loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the NFL Playoffs brought their run together to an unceremonious end.
Davante Adams Was Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders One Year Before Aaron Rodgers Was Traded to the New York Jets
The 2021 season was the final year of Adams’ contract with the Packers, and extension negotiations had not gone anywhere. When Green Bay decided to use the franchise tag in an effort to keep their All-Pro wide receiver, he informed them that he would not play for them on the tag, nor would he sign an extension.
As a result, the Packers traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first and second round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
A year later, Green Bay made the monumental decision to move on from Rodgers in favor of Jodan Love, whom they had drafted as the future Hall of Famer’s successor back in 2020. He identified the New York Jets as the team he wanted to play for next, so the Packers negotiated a trade to send him there.
Ever since that trade, many have wondered when/if the two might reunite to play again.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell Warns Fans a Davante Adams Trade to the New York Jets Is Not a Slam Dunk
On Tuesday, Adams informed the Raiders that he wanted to be traded. His tenure with Las Vegas has been disastrous, though he has put up solid numbers ever since he arrived.
In his first year with the team, he was named First Team All-Pro for the third year in a row after catching 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. The following season, he had 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns, but did not make the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2016.
This year, Adams has 18 receptions for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games played. He missed Las Vegas’ most recent game due to a hamstring injury he suffered during practice.
He is also playing with his sixth starting quarterback since joining the Raiders, a team he wanted to play for because, at the time, they had Derek Carr under center.
With Adams now on the trading block, many fans believe that a reunion with Rodgers on the Jets is the most obvious scenario. However, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is not so sure:
“I’m not sure the fit is quite as comfortable after taking a closer look. For one, the Jets already have three wideouts they’re playing regularly in Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams and fellow former Packers player Allen Lazard, who leads New York with 204 receiving yards this season. Trading for Adams probably would bump Lazard out of the lineup, leaving the Jets with a player making $10 million this season who doesn’t play special teams. They could certainly make that move if necessary, but it’s not as if they have an obvious need at wide receiver.
“Money is also a concern. Rodgers’ status after this season is uncertain, but Wilson becomes eligible for an extension in 2025, and he’ll be asking to top Jefferson’s average annual salary of $35 million.”
As one can see, Barnwell argues that wide receiver is not really a need on the Jets roster and the team really does need to consider their future salary cap when approaching any in-season trades.
Now, the “good” news is that Adams does not have any guaranteed money left on his contract after this season. But would a 13-game run of Rodgers/Adams be worth the price they would have to pay in draft picks? New York is already down a significant pick after their botched trade for Hasson Reddick earlier this year. Would they really be willing to part with another high pick?
If any front office were to make such a risky deal, it would be the Jets. But the trade would have to result in a Super Bowl in order to be worth it. Anything short of accomplishing the ultimate goal would result in multiple people losing their jobs.
In other words, don’t expect it to happen.
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