The last time Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams took the field together was a Green Bay Packers’ Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 22, 2022.
This Sunday, 1,003 days later, the duo will be back together as the Jets take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh in prime time.
Acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this week, Adams, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury, said that he’s “feeling good” right now and believes he will be “able to roll” for his Jets debut in the Steel City.
“It’s been a roller coaster for sure,” Adams said of the last few days. “It’s a weird thing to say that I’m happy, but it was time for a change. This whole thing kind of transpired a little weird, but at the end of the day we’re in a better place. I think the Raiders are in a better place as well, and everybody can kind of move on.”
Adams had made it clear that he wanted a change of scenery, and he preferred to be reunited with a quarterback he knew. Because of that, all arrows pointed to Rodgers and the Jets, and while it took some time for the trade to come together, Adams eventually landed in New York.
And he called Rodgers at around 1 o’clock on Tuesday morning to let him know his flight was taking off.
“I don’t know, we haven’t played together yet, so he might not be as good as he used to be, so we’ll see,” Adams said jokingly about reuniting with Rodgers. “No, but seriously it’s great, just being back and being able to be with my guy. … He’s part of why I am who I am and why I turned into the player (I am), whether it’s the cerebral approach, the attention to detail, just learning from him and watching him operate and just how dialed in he is at all times, I feel like that has a lot to do with how I kind of function the way I do as a player.”
“It’s very surreal,” Rodgers added. “He sat next to me in the team meeting today and I said, ‘Man, how crazy is this?’ It’s something that when we get together in the offseasons we joke about, but it never seemed like a possibility that could happen, so it’s good to be with him. He has a presence about him that’s palpable when he steps on the walkthrough field or the practice field or in a meeting. Obviously, he brings clout and the accolades from somebody who’s been at zenith of his profession. It’s really fun to have him.”
Rodgers called his chemistry with Adams “a gift,” as the duo played together for eight seasons in Green Bay, with each of them ascending to the top of their games.
“His knowledge of the game is pretty extensive,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, it looks like he’s drank the elixir from the fountain of youth as we watch some of his clips. … It’s been a strange 24 hours, but really fun to see my friend.”
