News
2/6/23
4 min read
Davante Adams Lobbying for Aaron Rodgers Trade to Raiders
If Davante Adams gets his way, he'll have a second quarterback reunion in two seasons.
Playing on the AFC team at the Pro Bowl on Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders' star wide receiver didn't try to hide his feelings about a potential acquisition at quarterback, lobbying for his team to bring in one of the biggest names in the league, former Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers.
Asked by NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe if he felt his team should bring Rodgers in, Adams didn't hesitate.
"Duh, why would anybody not do that? One hundred percent, that's my guy. Wishful thinking, but we'll see what happens," said Adams, who added that a reunion with Rodgers was a "dream scenario".
Caught up with Raiders WR Davante Adams after his 6th straight Pro Bowl, saying goodbye to Derek Carr as a teammate and the start of his heavy Aaron Rodgers to Raiders recruiting pitch.
From @nflnetwork: pic.twitter.com/RTZmob8erM
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 6, 2023
The All-Pro receiver has been one of the loudest voices among the continued chatter that Rodgers will be on the move this offseason, trying to manifest a reunion with the quarterback who helped him ascend to elite status across the NFL and with whom he became a perennial Pro Bowler. And, possibly in part to his lobbying, the Raiders are among the likeliest landing spots should the Packers deal their future Hall of Fame QB.
At least at the moment, they are. On Sunday, the Raiders (-150) supplanted the New York Jets (+250) as the favorite to land Rodgers this offseason.
Rodgers has carved out an 18-year career with the Packers but is coming off an 8-9 season, one of the worst statistically in his career. Green Bay has 2020 first-rounder Jordan Love waiting in the wings, and with Rodgers flirting with retirement in the past and having a rocky relationship with the franchise in recent years, a trade this offseason makes sense.
While the Packers haven't commented on the situation or confirmed trade talks, Rodgers hasn't shied away from discussing his own future or tipping Green Bay's hand that there may already be discussions about what the future will look like.
"It sounds like there's already conversations going on that aren't involving me, which are interesting," Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show last Tuesday. "I'm not part of those conversations right now."
While Adams was playing flag football in the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday, Rodgers was winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, where he cheekily added a little smoke to the fire. There was an off-the-cuff quote about not joining the 49ers prior to one of his tee shots, along with more than one reference to the Raiders.
He also said if Adams wants to get him to Vegas he should "buy me a house," and added the Raiders were the current leader if the number of fans on the course who told him to come to their team was any indicator.
"I'm just going to say that the predominant team that we hear as we're walking (the course) is Raiders," Rodgers told Amanda Balionis Renner of CBS Golf after winning the pro-am. "A lot of Raiders fans are encouraging me, a lot of 'Davante misses you' comments."
Playing his part as a self-proclaimed social media troll in all of this, Adams was quick to fire off a response after Rodgers' house comments.
House shopping is fun…
— Davante Adams (@tae15adams) February 5, 2023
The Raiders are expected to have an opening at quarterback very soon. This past week, they gave Derek Carr permission to talk with other teams about a trade. The Raiders must trade or release Carr by Feb. 15 — three days after the Super Bowl — or his contract will become guaranteed and Las Vegas will have to pay him $40.4 million over the next two years. And Carr, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, told The Associated Press he would not extend the deadline to help facilitate a trade.
WATCH: Rodgers Has Played Final Game in Green Bay
