Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams first got together – before they became teammates on the Jets – at a dinner in New York through a mutual friend more than a year ago. It was there the two wide receivers had a chance to get to know each other and build a relationship that has now come full circle.
At dinner, Wilson told Adams he was his favorite receiver while Adams reciprocated by saying he appreciated the youngster’s game. From there, both players were able to discuss the intricacies and details of the game of football – a foreshadowing of what they would end up doing as teammates now.
“We really had an enlightening convo and he was able to drop a lot of knowledge for me,” Wilson said about the dinner.
So when New York traded for the six-time Pro Bowler in mid-October to pair with their former Offensive Rookie of the Year in Wilson – all with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback – it seemed like a match made in heaven.
“I feel like as soon as I got here [Wilson and I] jumped right into it like we had been legit friends for a long time,” Adams said. “Being around him now, it feels really natural.”
Of course, in their first game on the field together the Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, 37-15. In fact, neither Wilson nor Adams had much to show for in that game, combining for eight catches and 91 yards – less than running back Breece Hall who hauled in six catches for 103 yards.
The lack of productivity in their debut together shouldn’t have come as a total surprise, though, as Adams had just missed three straight games with a hamstring injury while on the Las Vegas Raiders and was with New York for less than a week.
A week later, despite an astonishing loss to the New England Patriots, the duo combined for 167 yards on nine catches with Wilson carrying the load with 113 yards on five receptions. And while the loss (the team’s fifth straight) grabbed the headlines, both players were starting to get used to playing with one another.
“I knew the whole time that it wasn’t necessarily going to happen in the Pittsburgh game,” Adams said about the Jets putting it all together offensively. “I just got there, coming off injury, it was just a lot of different pieces [and] we [had] to figure one another out. [When] you have a team full of playmakers – that doesn’t always work.”
But in their most recent matchup with the Houston Texans last Thursday night – a game in which New York was held to no points in the first half, but ultimately won – Adams (7-91-1) and Wilson (9-90-2) both went off.
For the first time this season, the duo looked unstoppable.
“You got to learn to play with each other and that comes from the top with the coaches and figuring out which plays to call and how to space out plays to different guys throughout the game and obviously working with Aaron as well,” Adams said. “It takes time [and] it’s something that people were a little impatient about and wanted to see, but hopefully now, I know I feel a lot more comfortable, so hopefully now is where we can kind of take off as an offense and get some consistency.”
The Jets hope to continue their recent success on Sunday with a road game against the Arizona Cardinals to keep their playoff hopes alive.
With Adams and Wilson at the forefront, continuing to get better and learning from each other with each passing day – something that began with that dinner over a year ago – that hope remains.
“Every day I come in I’m thankful to be able to have someone like that that I can pick their brain and just see how they go about their business watching practice and really just steal moves,” Wilson said. “That boy is cold and it’s been like that for a long time.”
“It’s fun working with him and to see him work every day, I’m definitely looking forward to this continuing,” Adams said.
