(Photo: Fox 11 Los Angeles)
Davante Adams was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2014 from Fresno State. With the Packers, he was one of the weapons at the Quarterback’s disposal. As time went on, he earned the trust of the Quarterback and people didn’t realize how important trust is between a Quarterback and Wide Receiver. If they can’t trust you, they aren’t going to throw you the ball at any point during the game. In 2019, Aaron Rodgers found his next top target in Davante and the Packers built their offense around the two. In 2020, Davante elevated his game to the next level and became one of the elite Wide Receivers in the league. After the 2021 season, the Raiders acquired the All-Pro receiver from Green Bay. Throughout this season, you heard the rumblings of him wanting out of Las Vegas and his name was on the trade block. It finally happened and he went where I think everyone expected him to end up. East Rutherford, New Jersey as a member of the New York Jets. In other words, he’s reunited with his buddy, Aaron.
There isn’t a doubt in my mind when he’s on the field, he’s one of the three best Wide Receivers in the league. Davante is the total package at the position as he can run each route off the route tree with consistency and I’ve yet to see anyone be physical with him. Davante has so many different moves and releases which makes it difficult for him to be checked at the line of scrimmage because you never know what he’s going to do or which direction he’s thinking about going. I’ve watched him attack the best Cornerbacks in this league and win those battles. What makes Davante stand out more is how he’s able to create separation as he has a variety of ways to free himself. He’ll attack you at the top of the route, over the middle and flat. The smallest amount of space, he will capitalize upon it. If you don’t keep an eye on him, he will be free and will make you pay for it. I remember a route he ran against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. Davante was running up as if it were a deep curl route, then he faked to his right and cut to the left and was wide open. I can tell he has a basketball background and he’s used that on the field throughout his career. Catching the ball is great, but how can you free yourself to get open? He’s a master in space. You could have the perfect inside leverage and he’ll still find a way to get inside with his route running. Also, you could be outside and he’ll find the leverage to get outside. This is one of those receivers where you must know where he is on the field at all times. I’ve even seen him attack double coverage and he still gets the football.
I’m not shocked one bit about this. When he said he wanted to play with a Quarterback he was familiar with, two teams came to mind and that’s the Saints and Jets. He had good chemistry with Derek Carr in Las Vegas and we’ve seen what he can do with Aaron Rodgers. I’m going to be blunt here, I don’t think this elevates the Jets in the AFC one bit. Having called the game last night against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets’ offense didn’t look too bad. They played with tempo and motion and anytime they fed Breece Hall the football, good things happened. The glaring issue with this football team is the inconsistent play at the Offensive Line. You could have a prime Randy Moss on one side, a prime Terrell Owens on the other, and a prime Marvin Harrison in the slot on this team and it wouldn’t mean a thing because the Quarterback still wouldn’t have time to throw the ball due to that offensive line. This doesn’t necessarily make them a playoff team, but I’m curious to see how this all pans out.
