Over the past few years, particularly after joining the New York Jets, legendary NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the subject of intense scrutiny. Not only has his play on the field been in question, but his behavior off the field, particularly in the locker room and with teammates, has also been a topic of discussion.
For the most part, however, his teammates have spoken glowingly about him. Now, longtime locker room resident alongside Rodgers and superstar in his own right, Davante Adams, went into detail about the impact the former Super Bowl champion has had on his career.
What Did Aaron Rodgers Teach Davante Adams From the Jump?
In 2008, Rodgers finally took over as the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. It didn’t take long for him to turn into an excellent name at the signal-caller spot, as he led the team to a Super Bowl victory in just his third year as a starter.
A year later, he won his first MVP. However, up until that point, there was no mention of Adams in Green Bay. It wasn’t until two years later, in what would turn out to be Rodgers’ second MVP season, that the Fresno State product joined the Packers.
A relatively slow start to his career saw Adams take off in his third year. However, the new quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers had already started his mentorship from Day 1. Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, Adams had an illuminating story about the first lesson Rodgers ever gave him.
“My first game playing was the Detroit Lions game. I played like eight plays in the season opener against the [Seattle] Seahawks. I kind of got my feet wet in that game, and then the Detroit game, I had a few more meaningful snaps.”
He then told a story about one of the first plays when he was lined up on the right side, where the offensive unit had two extremely similar signals. Unfortunately, he didn’t recognize the correct one at full speed while being mid-cadence.
“When you’re dealing with a person like Aaron, you come to learn the details are very, very important.” As a rookie in his second game, Adams wasn’t quite ready for the moment just yet.
As a result, he screwed up the play and rant a slant instead of a one-stop. Missing the pass completely, he immediately saw an irate quarterback skipping towards him with a finger pointed in his direction.
“When you see that finger come out, you know it’s problems,” Adams admitted. “I had to deal with it before I even got to the huddle.” Even though he tried to explain his reasoning, Rodgers wasn’t having any of it.
Instead, he taught the soon-to-be six-time Pro Bowler a valuable lesson. “He taught me what details are about.” As Adams likes to put it, “The man changed my life. Because he got me dialled into knowing just how important small things are.”
