In a developing saga that continues to captivate the NFL world, Davante Adams, one of Aaron Rodgers’ closest friends and former teammates, has offered rare and revealing insights into the quarterback’s free agency process. Speaking with The Athletic, Adams shed light on both Rodgers’ playing ability and what might be holding up his decision to sign with a new team.
Davante Adams Reveals What Aaron Rodgers Wants Before Committing to a New Team
Davante Adams told @MikeSilver two things about Aaron Rodgers.
He believes Rodgers can still play. And…
"I think Aaron wants someone to roll out the red carpet for him," Adams said.
He explains ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/spBHNYCarh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 22, 2025
During an appearance on the Scoop City podcast, Mike Silver revealed Adams made two key points about Rodgers.
“He said, look, I think he could still play at a very high level,” Silver reported. Adams believes that Rodgers’ early-season struggles in 2024 were largely injury-related. “He said, ‘I think if you look at last year, the injury was bothering him in the first part of the year. And you could tell that affects a lot of decisions. He said, ‘by the end, I think you saw a guy who’s still Aaron Rodgers.”
In addition to Rodgers’ physical capabilities, Adams also spoke about the quarterback’s mentality and what he’s looking for in a potential team. “I think Aaron wants someone to roll out the red carpet for him,” Adams told Silver. “That is what he is looking for.” Silver interpreted this as a desire for a team to show unified belief in Rodgers’ ability to lead and elevate a franchise. “It felt to me like, Aaron, based on what Davante said, would love to be swept off his feet.”
Adams’ own experience with Rodgers in early February offered more context. The two were golfing in Las Vegas when Rodgers flew out for a final meeting with the Jets – a meeting that didn’t go well. “He was just in such a bad mood [after the meeting] that he hit me up and was like, ‘I’m not coming back, bro.’ He’s like, ‘This was horrible; they just disrespected me completely,’” Adams recounted.
The meeting, according to Rodgers, began with the Jets bluntly telling him they were moving on. “They just flat out – ‘Yeah, I think we’re just gonna do something different. We’re gonna move in a different direction,’” Adams said.
Adams initially thought Rodgers might be overreacting but realized quickly it was serious. “I didn’t think anybody had the balls to, for lack of better words, to hit him with it like that,” he added. From that point, Adams knew he wouldn’t be returning to New York either.
While Adams has since signed with the Rams, Rodgers remains unsigned. But according to Adams, if any team makes a compelling pitch – rolling out that symbolic red carpet, Rodgers might just make his decision.