Davante Adams had a wild year. He began the season with the Las Vegas Raiders before being traded to the New York Jets. After an underwhelming 5-12 campaign, the Jets cleaned house, bringing in a new front office.
That shake-up led to the departure of both Adams and his longtime friend and quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Adams entered free agency and eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams. One NFC team tried to lure Adams with an offer—but didn’t exactly impress him. He recently called them out.
Davante Adams Turned Down a Low-Ball Offer
The San Francisco 49ers attempted to bring Adams into the fold, but their low-ball offer fell flat. Adams admitted he had interest in joining the Niners, but they weren’t willing to pay him fair market value. As one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers, Adams wasn’t about to let a team diminish his value.
“I was entertaining the Niners, but they were like, ‘We’re paying wholesale. We ain’t paying retail.’ I didn’t talk to them, but that’s what my agent told me—like five times, that quote,” Adams said in a recent interview with The Athletic. “And I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m not a wholesale-type dude.’”
The 49ers have been navigating a tight salary cap all offseason. They traded away Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders after his request to leave, and moved on from Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd. They also lost key players like Charvarius Ward, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga in free agency.
With a looming contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, the team has had to be strategic with its finances which certainly explains their conservative offer. Adams wasn’t willing to take a discount, especially not when the Rams were willing to meet his “retail” value. For Adams, that made the decision easy.
A Proven Star Player Bolts for Los Angeles Rams
Adams is coming off yet another 1,000+ yard season—his fifth straight and sixth in the last seven years. Even while playing in two of the league’s least productive offenses, he found ways to produce consistently. Now, he joins a Rams team that looks ready to contend as the team will pair Adams up with rising star Puka Nacua in what could be one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiving duos. Matthew Stafford remains under center.
After dealing with dysfunction in both Las Vegas and New York, Adams is hoping for a fresh start in Los Angeles. He’s eager to return to Super Bowl contention which was something the Raiders and Jets failed to deliver to him. The Rams, meanwhile, made a playoff run last year after upsetting the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings and then pushing the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles to the limit.
With a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, Adams looks poised for a big year. And when Week 1 rolls around, the Rams will be a team to watch.
