A 6-11 season brought little joy for the Las Vegas Raiders, but star wide receiver Davante Adams felt a sense of satisfaction from his third First-Team All-Pro accolade more than his others. In his words, the 30-year-old proved he "doesn't need Aaron Rodgers".
The pair formed one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in recent NFL history with the Green Bay Packers, with Adams being voted to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons before being traded to the Raiders last summer.
Rodgers' mastery as a passer has earned him four league MVP awards and Adams believes some observers downplayed his ability as a receiver because he was catching passes from a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But with both men going their separate ways – Adams to the Raiders last year and Rodgers to Green Bay last month – Adams believes his stellar season for the Silver and Black, his first without Rodgers as his quarterback, was enough to silence any doubters.
“Now people can’t say that (I need Rodgers),” Adams told The Ringer. “That’ll never be the narrative ever again.
"It proved that I am me. A quarterback doesn’t make me, I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level.
"That’s why (last) season meant a lot. Even if I went and played like dog s*** next year, they can’t say it. Because now I’ve already proved it throughout the course of a season, played every game, and put together a résumé that says I do not need (Rodgers).
"You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn’t need Aaron Rodgers.”
Adams added that Rodgers is a "hell of a quarterback", but his 100-catch, 1,516-yard, 14-touchdown season for a dysfunctional Raiders team quashes any notion that he was ever dependent on his former signal caller.
Adams' importance to the Raiders has only increased heading into his second season with the franchise, with Derek Carr – his former college teammate at Fresno State – now on the roster of the New Orleans Saints and former San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo has arrived to lead the offense.
The 30-year-old's rare playmaking ability will be a welcome asset to Garoppolo as he looks to make a flying start with the Raiders, and Adams is looking forward to working with him after some brief conversations ahead of training camp this summer.
“He’s a really cool dude, talking to him," Adams added. "I really haven’t been around him enough to truly know what type of leader he is,” Adams says.
“I’ve only heard good things from his teammates, though, so that’s a good thing because it’s guys that I know wouldn’t mess around with stuff like that.”
