Could one of the better quarterback-receiver duos in NFL history reunite?
While playing at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nev. on Thursday, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw some gas on the idea that he could team up again with Davante Adams.
“I love Davante. Can’t wait to play with him,” Rodgers said between holes, adding “again” after a slight pause.
Rodgers and Adams set the world ablaze while playing together from 2014-21 in Green Bay, combining to rack up 12 Pro Bowl appearances and five All-Pro nods.
During that eight-year stretch, Adams’ 669 receptions ranked fifth among NFL players, while his 8,121 yards were sixth.
The two California natives were particularly unstoppable during their last two seasons with the Packers.
From 2020-21, Rodgers and Adams each made First Team All-Pro twice, with Rodgers winning consecutive MVPs and Adams notching two straight seasons with 115-plus catches, 1,374-plus yards and 11-plus touchdowns.
However, Green Bay failed to reach a Super Bowl with the two transcendent talents on their roster.
The Packers opted to maximize value for Adams when the team traded him to the Raiders in March 2022, netting back first- and second-round picks that ultimately became linebacker Quay Walker and receiver Christian Watson.
The 31-year-old wideout has continued to produce as a gaudy clip in Las Vegas the last two seasons, starting all 34 games while amassing 203 catches for 2,660 yards and 22 touchdowns — despite playing with very below-average quarterbacks.
With Vegas finishing below .500 the last two seasons and projected to be subpar again in 2024, many have wondered if owner Mark Davis would consider moving Adams.
Yet Adams has insisted that Sin City is where he wants to be.
“Obviously, we can get together and talk about the old times, and potential of doing this and that,” Adams said about Rodgers. “I’m a Raider, and he knows that.”
Until the Raiders — with newly minted full-time head coach Antonio Pierce and new general manager Tom Telesco — or Adams elect to take a different stance, it seems that the idea of the future Hall of Famers reconnecting will remain a far-fetched fantasy.
Adams’ five-year, $140 million contract won’t expire until after the 2026 season, although a trade may be more feasible after this year — when the receiver’s dead-cap figure drops from $40.4 million to $15.7 million.
Meanwhile, the 40-year-old Rodgers will be a free agent the year before in 2025 but seems to be taking a year-to-year approach to his career.