The Green Bay Packers shocked the NFL on Thursday night by trading star Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a big new contract but no No. 1 receiver.
The past week in the NFL already had been crazy enough between Russell Wilson’s trade to the Denver Broncos, Tom Brady’s unretirement, Deshaun Watson’s recruitment, Khalil Mack’s trade to the Chargers, and numerous major free-agent signings.
All of that happened on top of nine head coaching jobs getting turned over in one hiring cycle. So the Adams deal thrust the NFL-wide offseason overhaul into seemingly unprecedented territory for a league that now basically doubles as a reality TV show.
“This has to be the craziest start to a league year that I’ve ever seen,” one player told the New York Daily News in the wake of the Adams trade.
Raiders GM Dave Ziegler, a recent hire from the New England Patriots, is reportedly giving the Packers first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft in the trade. Las Vegas is also paying Adams big money on a reported five-year, $141.25 million contract.
Adams, 29, first declined to play on the franchise tag, which kicked off discussions of a possible trade. And reportedly, Green Bay eventually offered Adams the same money to stay with Rodgers but Adams declined it. He wanted out.
Rodgers, 38, just signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension after dragging the Packers through unending drama the past year-plus.
Multiple reports claim that Rodgers was aware that Adams wasn’t going to remain a Packer when he signed his new deal, but it’s fair to be skeptical of whether Rodgers really committed to Green Bay for the rest of his career believing that he was losing his best receiver and security blanket.
Adams reunites with Derek Carr, 30, his former college quarterback at Fresno State and one of his best friends. Carr told ABC30 in Central California last summer that he would put on a “full court press” to recruit Adams if he ever had the opportunity, and Adams said it would be a “dream” to play with Carr again.
The Raiders, with Josh McDaniels as their new head coach, now have loaded up to match wits in this year’s AFC West arms race.
They gave edge rusher Maxx Crosby a massive contract extension, spent big money to sign free-agent pass rusher Chandler Jones, acquired Colts corner Rock Ya-Sin in a player trade that sent edge Yannick Ngakoue to Indianapolis, and signed Ravens corner Anthony Averett.
Vegas defensive coordinator Pat Graham, who came inches away from landing his first head coaching job this past cycle after his work with the Giants, now inherits by far the most talented unit he has run as a DC.
McDaniels, meanwhile, now has an offense paced by Carr, receivers Adams and Hunter Renfrow, tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs.
Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs, Justin Herbert’s Chargers, Wilson’s Broncos and Carr’s Raiders unquestionably comprise one of the most exciting and highly anticipated divisions football can offer.
And just think: the NFL is only a couple days into free agency, the draft isn’t until late April, and training camp is still four months away.
Football is just getting started.
