Rich Cimini
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Rich Cimini
ESPN Staff Writer
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Paul Gutierrez
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Paul Gutierrez
ESPN Staff Writer
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Oct 18, 2024, 06:00 AM ET

NEW YORK JETS quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in his car, navigating postgame traffic outside MetLife Stadium, when his cell phone rang. It was 12:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday, about an hour after an exasperating 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. His caller ID said it was Davante Adams. Rodgers didn't answer.

Rodgers and Adams connected 615 times over eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, becoming one of the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver tandems in NFL history, but Rodgers didn't want to hook up on this particular occasion.

He was in a foul mood and his 40-year-old body was aching after the Jets' third straight loss, culminating a tumultuous week. Coach Robert Saleh had been fired, and the popular narrative was that Rodgers had nudged him out. He wanted to stew in solitude -- until Adams called again, closer to 1 a.m. This time, Rodgers picked up.

Adams was in Las Vegas, getting ready to board a red eye to New Jersey. The Las Vegas Raiders and Jets had agreed to the parameters of a blockbuster trade, one that had been rumored for months. This was big news -- still unreported by the media -- but Adams purposely buried the lead.

"We actually talked about the game for a good amount of time before I said anything about being on the way," Adams said.

When Rodgers was done venting about the game, Adams dropped the news.

"He said he was getting on a plane, and I just kind of -- my heart dropped," Rodgers said. "I was like, 'To where?'"

The Jets weren't the only team interested in Adams, who had requested a trade after two-plus seasons with the Raiders. The New Orleans Saints were also linked to Adams, as were the Pittsburgh Steelers and Bills.

Rodgers was relieved -- and thrilled -- to learn his good friend was on his way to the Jets.

While the Raiders offloaded a player who no longer wanted to be in Las Vegas, Jets general manager Joe Douglas completed a yearlong effort to get his playmaker, make his franchise quarterback happy and inject hope into a fading season.

For Rodgers, it was a nice nightcap to a rough evening.

"It definitely put him in a much better mood," Adams said.

TEN DAYS BEFORE trading Adams, the Raiders had seemingly moved on from the three-time first-team All-Pro receiver.

The night before their Week 5 game at the Denver Broncos, coach Antonio Pierce stood in front of his team in a hotel boardroom. He gave a rousing speech, highlighting the need to lean on each other and promoting a next-man-up philosophy.

He played a sizzle reel of highlights from Las Vegas' eight-game winning streak against the archrival Broncos, according to multiple team sources. Former Raiders like quarterback Derek Carr, running back Josh Jacobs and cornerback Amik Robertson flashed across the screen, as did current guys like face of the franchise and three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby and receiver Jakobi Meyers.

Missing from the show?

Adams, who once had a 35-yard walk-off TD in the Mile High City.

From the team's perspective, Adams had already checked out. The hamstring injury that he suffered at practice Sept. 26 had healed sufficiently that he looked good enough in workouts to have played at Denver, a team source said.

From Adams' perspective, it was the Raiders who let him down, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

After all, Adams acknowledged that he and his former college teammate Carr had "low-key" engineered the March 2022 trade from Green Bay to Las Vegas to reunite. But Carr was benched with two games to go in the 2022 season and subsequently released by the Raiders when he declined to waive his no-trade clause.

Adams seemed all-in with Carr's replacement, Jarrett Stidham, but Stidham left in free agency in March 2023. The then-Raiders braintrust of GM Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniel had their sights set on trading up to No. 1 to select Alabama's Bryce Young, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said. Ultimately they stood pat and signed an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. Garoppolo would need surgery on his left foot and miss significant time in the offseason. Adams did not seem pleased, saying he did not see "eye-to-eye" with the Raiders front office.

In early October 2023, Adams told ESPN he "didn't really have any expectations" upon joining the Raiders, who were 1-3 at the time.

"But it's not what I wanted, for sure," Adams said. "Obviously, I wanted to come here and have a big impact, continue to play at a high level and win games. And a lot of those things have happened -- just not the winning part.

"It's a gamble sometimes. You never really know."

The Raiders fired McDaniel midway through the 2023 season and finished 8-9.

The first sign of trouble this year was when Adams skipped voluntary OTAs, despite the Raiders installing a new offense under incoming offensive coordinator Luke Getsy (Adams had endorsed the hiring because they had worked together in Green Bay) and bringing in new quarterback Gardner Minshew. Adams posted a video on social media of him washing his car while his teammates were practicing.

Then came the public airing of Adams' sideline rants on the Netflix series "Receiver," which chronicled his 2023 season, including ripping Garoppolo when he missed him on a deep ball and complaining after a few big hits, saying, "I got to get the f--- out of here before I lose my f---ing life. I ain't never been hit this many f---ing times in my career. Every game, I get f---ed up."

Adams' declaration that he "signed off" on the midseason switch from Garoppolo to Aidan O'Connell on "Receiver" raised eyebrows among staffers and in the locker room. Not so much because he said and did those things, but because Adams, as a willing participant on the show with some creative control, allowed them to air. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said there was more critical footage of Adams venting about the team that Adams had to be talked out of allowing to air.

"I watched pieces of it, but there's nothing to talk about," Pierce said at the start of training camp. "Davante signed up for the show, there were things said and shown, and it is what it is. You can't erase it."

Pierce wanted Adams to be more of a vocal leader this season, according to team sources. Adams, those sources said, believed he had a voice in personnel matters and was all-in on the Raiders trading up to draft a top-tier QB like Jayden Daniels, or acquiring a more accomplished veteran like Justin Fields. But when the Raiders settled on Minshew and a returning O'Connell, frustration grew for Adams, team sources said.

Adams left training camp for two weeks for the birth of his son. He also did not play in the preseason because of soreness from an "awkward movement" in practice after Pierce said all healthy starters would play in the preseason finale.

In less than a calendar year, Adams went from saying he would "run through a wall for that man" upon Pierce's promotion from linebackers coach to interim coach Nov. 1, to believing the situation was untenable.

And while Adams left a trail of clues, the Raiders were stunned when Adams, the morning after the Week 4 Browns victory, asked Pierce to talk. Adams dropped a bombshell -- he wanted out. According to a source with direct knowledge, Pierce assumed when Adams came to his office, he was going to tell him the hamstring was good to go for a winnable AFC West divisional game at Denver.

Instead, Adams gave Raiders general manager Tom Telesco a list of teams he'd prefer to join. The Jets were Adams' Plan A, he said on the "Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams."

The Raiders were shocked not so much by the request, but by the timing of it, several team sources said.

"It wasn't rash at all, but it was something that hit me, and it was something that had been on my heart for a while honestly," Adams said on the show. "And it was something that, given I basically did everything that I could to try to make it work in Vegas because I loved that city, I loved putting on that uniform, I mean, everything about it, that stadium, those fans, everything about it was amazing other than the part that I just didn't feel like I was able to maximize what I could do."

Now, he'll play football for the Jets. And the Raiders can turn the proverbial page.

"It's like a period on a weird situation," Meyers said. "Instead of a comma or a dot, dot, dot. Whatever you call that."

An ellipsis?

"There we go, man," Meyers said with a laugh. "But yeah, at least now we know what we're working with. Hopefully, everybody's happy and we can just make plays with what we've got."

IN 2022, TYREEK Hill was the big one who got away.

When the Kansas City Chiefs put the star receiver on the trading block, the Jets swooped in with a strong bid before losing him at the 11th hour to the Miami Dolphins. At last year's trade deadline, even with Rodgers recovering from Achilles surgery and out for the season, they called the Raiders about Adams. The Jets offered two second-round picks, The Athletic reported, but were rebuffed.

Determined to add another playmaker, especially one with Rodgers' seal of approval, Douglas never gave up his quest for Adams. He monitored the situation from afar and continued to check in with the Raiders.

On July 11, Rodgers fueled speculation of a reunion. In Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for the American Century Championship, he was approached by a Vegas Sports Today reporter during his practice round. Recording with his cell phone, the reporter asked Rodgers to comment on how Adams would fit with new Raiders offensive coordinator Getsy.

Walking from tee box to fairway, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains and majestic Ponderosa pines as the backdrop, Rodgers turned what should've been a simple sound bite into something much more.

"I love Luke Getsy. He's a fantastic coach," Rodgers said of his former Packers quarterbacks coach. "I love Davante. Can't wait to play with him -- again."

The 26-second video clip hit social media and -- wham! -- it was everywhere.

Two days earlier, Davante Adams told Kay Adams that Rodgers was trying to recruit him to the Jets. Now Rodgers was taking it to a new level. He would tell the New York media two weeks later at training camp that the reporter in Tahoe was a "tad bit irritating" and that he was just trying to "give him something and get rid of him."

Rodgers also said he was talking about wanting to play golf, not football, with Adams. Not many believed him. Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard, who played with Rodgers and Adams in Green Bay, said this week his quarterback was just "getting people excited and messing with reporters."

Talks between the Jets and Raiders picked up about three weeks ago, sources close to the situation said. By the time the Jets landed in London on Oct. 4, two days before they would face the Minnesota Vikings, they already had engaged in multiple conversations with Las Vegas.

"I think everyone kind of speculated it's happening, and it was only a matter of time," Lazard said. "I'm glad it happened now rather than later."

Initially, the Raiders demanded a second-round pick, according to multiple reports. They also didn't want to eat any of Adams' 2024 salary, insisting the new team pick up his entire contract through 2026. In the end, they compromised.

The Jets agreed to pay the remaining $11.6 million in this season's salary, but they held firm on keeping their second-round pick -- for now, anyway. They made it conditional. If Adams is selected first- or second-team All-Pro or if he's on the active roster for the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, the third-round pick improves to a second-rounder.

Rodgers said the entire offensive staff was on board, "so I didn't have to do any extra recruiting or nudging or anything. Joe knows what he's doing. He doesn't need my input, but if he had needed any extra input, obviously I would've told him what kind of guy Davante is."

Douglas hasn't commented on the trade, probably his second biggest since he became the GM in 2019. The biggest, by far, was acquiring Rodgers in April 2023.

Some close to the situation, in the weeks leading up to the trade, wondered if owner Woody Johnson would shell out the money for Adams. After all, they signed former Los Angeles Chargers star Mike Williams in the offseason, giving him $10 million for one year despite a left ACL tear last fall. They also have Garrett Wilson, who's still on his rookie deal and will be eligible for a massive extension after the season. Lazard is also making $10 million this season.

On Oct. 8, Johnson rocked the organization -- the entire NFL, for that matter -- by firing Saleh. That might have been a game changer with regard to their interest in Adams, with one source close to the situation saying Johnson "pulled out his pocketbook" to bolster his coaching-change gambit.

Johnson, who sometimes goes months without talking to the media, has asserted his power over the past two weeks. Speaking at the fall NFL league meeting this week in Atlanta, he said he's relying on experience and "instinct" to make these franchise-altering decisions.

"Thinking is overrated," Johnson said.

Truth is, the loss in London, where Rodgers matched a career high with three interceptions, was eye-opening for the organization. He force-fed the ball to Wilson, targeting him an astounding 22 times -- tied with Adams (2023) for the most in a game over the last five seasons. It was as if Rodgers was telling the front office, "I need another receiver!"

Meanwhile, Lazard dropped three passes that day and Williams was targeted four times, including on a last-minute interception. It became clear Rodgers needed another reliable receiver, and who better than Adams, who helped him win back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021?

That feeling was reinforced against the Bills, as Rodgers was intercepted in the final two minutes on a deep ball to Williams. Afterward, Rodgers committed the cardinal sin of quarterbacking -- he blamed the receiver. He told reporters that Williams -- a respected veteran of eight seasons -- "wasn't in the right spot."

Three hours later, Adams was on his way. The trade was in place before the game, a team source said.

One thing about Rodgers, though: He's hard on his receivers. He doesn't tolerate mental mistakes. If a receiver misses a pre-snap hand signal and runs the wrong route, it infuriates him. Adams, he said with a smile, already has about 95% of the signals down cold. He's staying at Rodgers' house temporarily, allowing them to talk football around the clock. For laughs, they punched up some game tape from 2014, Adams' rookie year, when he weighed more than his current listed size of 215 pounds.

"I lovingly call him 'Fat Tae,'" Rodgers said.

They drive to the facility together in the morning, just like they did on game days in Green Bay. Recalling those conversations on the commutes to Lambeau Field, Rodgers said, "It wasn't, 'Are we going to win today?' It was, 'How bad are we going to dominate?'"

Their hope is to recreate their glory days while lifting a franchise that could use a serious boost. Rodgers called the trade "very surreal."

"It's something that, when we get together in the offseasons, we joke about," Rodgers said, "but it never seemed like a possibility."

At the Jets' team meeting Wednesday morning, Rodgers and Adams sat next to each other. At one point, the quarterback leaned over to his forever receiver and said, "How crazy is this?"