Last week, Davante Adams posted a photo of his shoes on Instagram. They were green and yellow.
Certainly, that was Adams proclaiming his desire to return to the Green Bay Packers. Or, maybe he was bored and wanted to have some fun with the fans on social media.
Either way, Adams might be looking for a new home and the Packers might be looking for a proven receiver to add to an offense that failed to take the next step in 2024.
Could there be a reunion between the Packers and the All-Pro receiver? If so, what would it take to make it happen?
This week, Packers On SI asked an NFL executive who has helped facilitate trades to come up with “fair” compensation for some potential Packers trade targets. For Adams, he thought third- and sixth-round picks would suffice.
Adams, who turned 32 on Christmas Eve, caught 85 passes for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games in 2024. It was his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. It would have been seven in a row, but he finished with 997 yards in 12 games in 2019.
Speaking this week at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, running back Josh Jacobs said the Packers need a “proven … No. 1” receiver. He also said he’s reached out to some veterans to pitch Green Bay as a go-to destination.
Jacobs didn’t say who he’s been recruiting, but Adams would seem logical because they spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons together in Las Vegas.
Among active players, Adams ranks fourth with 957 receptions, fifth with 11,844 receiving yards and third with 103 receiving touchdowns. Wherever he plays in 2025, he is likely to join the 1,000-catch club, a group that includes only 15 players in NFL history.
Is Adams still a dominating, No. 1 receiver?
Adams has made a living off his elite route-running skills. According to Next Gen Stats, Adams averaged 3.2 yards of separation in 2024. That’s tied for his personal best since NGS began tracking that data in 2018.
According to NGS, of 74 receivers who were targeted at least 50 times in 2024, Adams ranked 20th in average separation. For the Packers, Jayden Reed averaged 4.0, Dontayvion Wicks 3.0, Romeo Doubs 2.6 and Christian Watson 2.4.
On Oct. 15, the Jets traded a third-round pick to the Raiders for Adams to pair him with Aaron Rodgers in hopes of salvaging their season. That didn’t work out, though. If Rodgers returns to the Jets in 2025, he is likely to be joined by Adams. If Rodgers decides to retire or isn’t brought back by the Jets, they’d almost certainly try to trade Adams.
Adams is due astronomical base salaries of $35.64 million in 2025 and 2026. He won’t play for that number for any team and could be willing to renegotiate to facilitate a trade. The alternative is he could play hardball, refuse to renegotiate and be released.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Jets’ new general manager, Darren Mougey, and their new coach, Aaron Glenn, have not spoken to Adams.
“If Davante Adams were to be released, my guess right now is that he would land somewhere on the West Coast,” Rapoport said.
After a superb stretch run in 2023, the Jordan Love-led passing attack never really got rolling in 2024. Having Adams, a threat on every third down and a player that defenses must scheme around, would help.
Beyond the disappointing play of the receivers, Christian Watson probably will miss the first half of next season with a torn ACL and Romeo Doubs suffered a pair of concussions during the second half of the season.
With Watson and Doubs set to be free agents after the 2025 season, Adams could serve as the bridge between Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and future Packers draft picks.
Adams in 2024 dropped 10 passes – tied for the most of his career – but averaged a career-high 5.5 yards after the catch per catch, according to Pro Football Focus. (Sports Info Solutions charged him with only six drops.) His 6.5 YAC per catch while with the Jets shows he remains dangerous.
Compared to Green Bay’s receivers, Adams had more contested catches (13; Doubs had 11), forced more missed tackles (12; Wicks had 10) and was second in YAC (Reed, 7.1).
Speaking on teammate Maxx Crosby’s podcast last offseason, Adams said he didn’t regret being traded by the Packers but thought Love had emerged as the team’s next franchise quarterback.
“At the time when I was there [in Green Bay], I hadn’t necessarily seen enough to say this is for sure what I should do,” Adams said. “But in hindsight, like we talked about, the kid is a f***ing baller, man. I’m so happy for him.”