The Green Bay Packers announced they had traded Davante Adams to the Indianapolis Colts. Rodgers says he was surprised by the decision, adding that it’s ‘hard for me to watch.’
Aaron Rodgers says Green Bay Packers trading Davante Adams ‘surprised’ him. The “packers trade jordan love” is a surprise to many people that have been following the team’s recent moves.
12:16 AM EST ET
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ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques
In his first public remarks since signing a three-year, $150 million agreement and moving his No. 1 wide receiver, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers admitted he was “surprised” by the club trading former WR Davante Adams this summer.
Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he thought his return to the Packers would have an impact on their ability to reach an agreement with Adams, and that he had engaged with the two-time All-Pro prior to his return.
“It was a bit shocking with Davante — obviously, I was still hoping he was going to come back when I made my choice,” Rodgers said. “I told him all I knew about my aspirations and future, as well as where I saw my career heading and how long I wanted to play. But I had a feeling he was coming back; clearly, that didn’t happen, but I have a lot of respect for ‘Tae and cherish the time we had together, and I wish him the best of luck with Derek [Carr] in Vegas. But that’s a significant void to fill.”
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Adams was dealt to the Las Vegas Raiders in March for a 2022 first-round and second-round selection. After that, the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $141.25 million deal, which completely changed the wide receiver market. The Packers’ wide receiver room was left bare after his departure, which was worsened when Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Kansas City Chiefs a week later.
The Packers did not choose a receiver in the first round of this year’s draft, despite having an extra first-round selection, something they had never done in Rodgers’ 17-year career. He wasn’t shocked or startled by their choice, claiming that he had been in contact with the team all night.
Teams must be cautious, according to the four-time NFL MVP, since “a lot of receiver busts in the first round.” Despite his recuperation from a torn ACL, he did label former Alabama WR Jameson Williams the most “NFL ready” receiver in the draft; Williams was picked by division foe Detroit at No. 12 overall.
General manager Brian Gutekunst went heavy on defense and heavy on Georgia Bulldogs with linebacker Quay Walker at No. 22 and defensive tackle Devonta Wyatt at No. 28. With the top six receivers off the board — Rodgers hinted that the Packers only had first-round grades on those six — Gutekunst went heavy on defense and heavy on Georgia Bulldogs with linebacker Quay Walker at No. 22 and defensive tackle Devonta Wyatt at No. 28.
Gutekunst said that he looked at moving up to get a receiver he liked.
Gutekunst remarked, “There were a few, there were a few.” “That run occurred early in the game. They’re excellent players. At the same time, I believe you should consider the asking price. Does that make sense?”
When the Packers selected Wyatt, a guy Rodgers claimed he knew the Packers were trying to grab, he was on the radio with McAfee. Even though he hasn’t gone to the team facilities for offseason training, Rodgers spent a day there last week. At that moment, he and Gutekunst met to examine the team’s current status. During the draft, Gutekunst said that coach Matt LaFleur was texting with Rodgers on a regular basis.
“Aaron is incredible,” Gutekunst said. “The difference between where we were and where we are today in terms of communication is night and day.” That means a great deal to me. He came here for a day last week, and we spent a lot of time talking about our team, where we believed we were headed, and some of the things we may want to accomplish in the future.
“That contribution, that discussion, is always appreciated and highly valued by me. However, when I and our scouts get into this process, we have tunnel vision, but as I said, there was a lot of texting going on next to me.”
When Gutekunst has two second-round selections (Nos. 53 and 59) and a third-round pick on Friday, he stated he won’t push a receiver selection (92).
He said, “I don’t believe we have to.” “I believe there are some extremely excellent receivers still in this draft, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. We still have nine choices, so we’ve got plenty of options. We’ll see how things proceed, whether we stay and choose or move around.”
Rodgers also said that the Packers were “in the mix” for some of the players available on the trade market this offseason, but noted that acquiring a receiver in this fashion is complicated.
“I believe we’re probably in the back of the line for a lot of these teams,” he added, “because there aren’t a lot of teams that want to trade receivers to Green Bay.” “But at the same time, I think if you’re not going to pay Davante — obviously, we traded him, he wanted to move on — but going out and paying another guy, I don’t know if that makes a ton of sense … I believe we’ve been mentioned, but is San Francisco actually interested in trading Deebo Samuel to us?
“I’m sure Packer Nation will be wondering why we didn’t take a receiver or trade up, but at this point, you just have to have faith in the organization and trust that whoever we bring in tomorrow and the rest of this draft, I’m going to put in the time to make it work with those guys, and we’re going to find a way in Matt’s offense to be successful — like we always have.”
“This year isn’t going to be any different; we’re going to be in the mix.”
Rodgers, 38, emphasized Green Bay’s success in discovering receiver talent beyond the first round, citing Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, James Jones, and Adams as examples.
Rodgers said that the Packers would miss Adams, but that it is part of the NFL’s transactional nature.
“It’s a difficult business, but it’s a fantastic job.” Those of us who have been able to play for a long time are well aware of this,” he remarked. “Even now, there are a lot of things that happen that surprise you. I assumed that based on the amount we paid Davante and the fact that he would be able to play with me for a few more years would make a difference, but in the end, I believe he was ready to move on and wanted my assistance in doing so.
“It was a difficult situation to be in, because I love him and care about him, and I want him to be happy, and he will be much missed.”
Rob Demovsky of ESPN contributed to this article.
Aaron Rodgers says the Green Bay Packers trading Davante Adams ‘surprised’ him. The Packers have been looking for a quarterback since Aaron Rodgers retired in 2018. Reference: aaron rodgers number.
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