The New York Jets are reuniting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his favorite receiver Davante Adams. For the Jets, the trade for the wide receiver looks like a last chance for success. Superstar Rodgers is also under pressure.
This trade shook the NFL! Superstar Davante Adams was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets and will once again meet quarterback Aaron Rodgers, with whom he dominated the NFL for years playing for the Green Bay Packers.
Precisely because of the shared history of the two stars, but also because of the charisma of Adams – who is one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league – the trade is currently heating up almost everyone around the league.
Insider Ian Rapoport vom NFL-Networkwho first reported on the deal on X, even called the move “the biggest regular season trade in an incredibly long time.”
In return for Adams, the Raiders will receive a third-round pick for the six-time Pro Bowler, which can become a second-round pick depending on the receiver’s performance. At first glance, it’s not quite a big blockbuster trade.
Adams and Rodgers dismantled the NFL together
But why is the reunited duo of old master Rodgers and Adams, who is also getting on in years at 31, making such big headlines? Maybe because together they were once unstoppable in the league.
According to statistics from the service provider StatMuse, Rodgers scored an outstanding 237 touchdowns with just 38 interceptions in 108 games in which he was on the field with Adams. His passer rating averaged a strong 103.5 and he gained 28,398 yards in games.
A whopping 69 of the touchdowns that Rodgers threw during his time with Adams between 2014 and 2021 landed directly at his favorite receiving station. In addition to the touchdowns, Adams caught a total of 622 faceoffs for 7,590 yards.
The outstanding raw numbers also led to numerous individual awards for both players. Adams earned five of his six Pro Bowl nominations as a passer-by to Rodgers, who in turn won seven of his ten Pro Bowl nominations and three of his four MVP titles with his favorite passer, Adams, at his side.
There still seems to be chemistry between Rodgers and Adams
It is therefore not surprising that Rodgers, in particular, lobbied the Jets’ management for the transfer of Adams. He is also said to have tried several times to convince Adams himself to move to New York.
The fact that things still seem to be right between the two on a personal level despite the spatial separation over the past three years was also shown by an appearance by the two shortly after the announcement of the change Pat McAfee Show. Just as a visibly pleased Rodgers explained that he had found out about the trade the night before, he turned around with a smile.
Suddenly, his new, old teammate Adams appeared in the background of Rodger’s apartment, waving to the camera with great enthusiasm from host MacAfee and immediately saying his first words after his move. “Aaron wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to play with me again. But hopefully we can put this behind us. But: We’re back!” joked a cheerful Adams while patting the laughing Rodgers on the shoulder.
Rodgers was also in a good mood and was happy about working with Adams again: “He is one of my best friends in the league. He is one of the people who really means a lot to me and my family. The fact that we can now play together again is very special for me. We’ve done a lot of good things together in the past. That’s why I’m really happy for our team that he’s here now.”
That’s how Adams sees it: “I’m sure there will be some new plays, but a lot will be similar, especially with this offensive guard by my side. I’m sure we can pick up right where we left off together.”
This is exactly why the Jets have brought the successful duo back together. The Packers were able to win their division five times with Adams and Rodgers, but it was never enough to win the Super Bowl. Despite great individual quality during this time, the Packers didn’t even make it to the final.
Last chance for the Jets?
That’s exactly where the duo should now lead the New York Jets. In addition to all the euphoria that accompanies the trade, the deal already seems a bit like the last chance for the Jets.
The franchise, which plays its home games in East Rutherford/New Jersey, has been trying to break through its own dreariness of success for over a decade now. The Jets last reached the playoffs in 2010. But even in previous decades, the franchise never wanted to achieve great success. The Jets were never in the Super Bowl.
That was supposed to change with the arrival of star quarterback Rodgers last season. But the start of the season turned into another nightmare for the Jets. Star signing Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon and subsequently missed the entire season. But things didn’t go well at the start of the new season with Rodgers recovering. After a start with two wins and three defeats, coach Robert Saleh had to leave after just five games and defense coordinator Jeff Ulbrich took over.
The decision came as quite a surprise. This is also why coaching legend Bill Belichick stood behind his colleagues. “Coach Saleh has done a good job with this program. He introduced a culture, a level of toughness and competitiveness. I thought Coach Saleh did a really good job with this team,” Belichick analyzed in the podcast Manningcast by Peyton and Eli Manning.
He then shot in the direction of Jets owner Woody Johnson: “That’s pretty much what the Jets have been for the past few years. They have barely won more than 30 percent (of games) in the last ten years. The owner is just the owner, always ready, shoot first, aim later.”
It wasn’t just the general dismissal of Coach Saleh that caused criticism, but also the manner in which it was done. The coach only found out about his dismissal shortly before the start of training, when he had actually expected it to be a normal day and had already arrived at the training ground. But that wasn’t enough: Saleh was then taken out of the building by security forces and was no longer allowed to say goodbye to the team.
Rodgers at a crossroads too?
Even after the coach change, things didn’t go any better. The first game under Ulbrich was also lost against the Buffalo Bills. With a record of 2:4, the playoffs are once again shaky early in the season.
One reason for this is that Rodgers has so far played well below his potential. In six games, Rodgers threw for 1,387 yards and nine touchdowns, but also had an uncharacteristically high error rate. Rodgers has already thrown five interceptions and is only 22nd in the league with a quarterback ranking of 50.3.
Rodgers is the center of a Jets offense that has been weak so far this season. The 40-year-old actually had a strong passing option in his ranks even before the Adams trade. With Garret Wilson, former Packer Allen Lazard and Mike Williams, the Jets have strong receivers, who are now joined by superstar Davante Adams.
For ESPN-Opinion maker Stephen A. Smith is now under pressure on Rodgers: “He hasn’t performed at all so far this year. But with his passing stations he no longer has any excuses. Now he has to deliver.” As usual, Smith formulates his thesis a bit too pointedly, but he could well be right with his basic statement. After trading for his dream pass receiver, Adams, it is now up to Rodgers to finally lead the Jets to success together with Adams.
