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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterOct 16, 2024, 07:05 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Wide receiver Davante Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers sat next to each other in the New York Jets‘ team meeting Wednesday. At one point, Rodgers turned to Adams and said, “How crazy is this?”
The former Green Bay Packers teammates are thrilled to be reunited, with Adams saying the Jets were his No. 1 choice after he requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders after two-plus seasons.
“It’s been a roller coaster, for sure,” said Adams, who will make his Jets debut Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It’s a weird thing to say that I’m happy, but, obviously, 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 that the Raiders are in a better place as well, and everybody can kind of move on.”
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Adams was traded Tuesday for a conditional 2025 third-round pick. He arrived at the Jets’ facility Tuesday morning and is staying at Rodgers’ house until he gets settled. They’ve already watched game film of themselves from a decade ago, and Rodgers is helping Adams with the playbook and updating him on his elaborate hand-signal system.
“Obviously, having him as my quarterback again, he’s part of why I am who I am, and why I turned into the player I am,” Adams said of Rodgers, his quarterback from 2014 to 2021.
The Jets (2-4), losers of three straight, traded for Adams because they felt the offense needed another playmaker on the perimeter. They believe it will balance the attack and create fewer double-teams for Garrett Wilson. It also probably means a reduced role for Mike Williams, whose future appears uncertain.
Williams didn’t practice Wednesday because of a personal reason, according to the team’s injury report. Earlier in the day, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich made no mention of Williams’ absence. Rodgers called out Williams after Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, saying the veteran receiver “wasn’t in the right spot” on a game-clinching interception with two minutes left.
Adams, 31, said he wanted to be more than an 11-game rental, indicating he’d like to remain with the Jets beyond 2024.
“I mean, I hope so. That’s the plan,” Adams said. “I mean, I want to be here. I never go somewhere in hopes of having to find a new home, so that’s the hope.”
Adams is signed through 2026, but his salaries in 2025 and 2026 — $35.6 million each year — are prohibitive and non-guaranteed. It means he’d have to renegotiate his contract to avoid being a cap casualty after the season.
For now, the focus is on learning the playbook so he can have a prominent role against the Steelers.
“I expect to be on the same page,” Rodgers said. “I’m hoping that we click. He’s been out for a few weeks with a [hamstring] injury and we haven’t played together since 2021, but we have a lot of memories to call upon. He has an incredible recall.”
On-field communication is important to Rodgers, who holds his receivers to a high standard. He has struggled to develop chemistry with Williams (10 receptions for 145 yards), which might explain why he was critical of Williams after the most recent game.
Rodgers had some connection issues with Wilson earlier in the season, but they seem to have moved past those with 20 receptions in the past two games. The Jets also have Allen Lazard, another ex-Packer who has a team-high five touchdown catches.
Suddenly, the Jets have a lot of mouths to feed.
“It’s a really cool problem to have,” Ulbrich said. “It’s going to give us an opportunity to have more flexibility where we move these guys around. Sometimes it’ll be based upon the route concepts, sometimes the matchups, but it gives us a lot of freedom to play around with where these guys line [up].”
Added Rodgers: “It’s about winning. Those guys are going to get theirs. The important thing is winning.”
Rodgers said players such as Wilson and running back Breece Hall “should be happy” with Adams’ presence because he believes the six-time Pro Bowl receiver will create opportunities for those around him.
Adams said his goal was to make an impact every time he’s on the field. In Las Vegas, he didn’t always feel as if that were possible.
“[People] see a trade demand and they just think, ‘He wants out, he’s quitting on the team,’ when it’s more about just being able to feel like I can — I don’t want that helpless feeling,” Adams said. “… Not every game’s going to be a 100-yard game or 150-, 200-yard game, but I want to feel like I can impact the game every time I touch the field.”
