Davante Adams‘ West Coast aspirations are coming true. The Rams are bringing in the All-Pro wide receiver, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
The Rams are giving the decorated receiver a two-year, $46MM deal, Rapoport adds. He will see $26MM guaranteed. This is quite the haul for a player who will be 33 by year’s end. But Adams was by far the most productive receiver who changed teams last season, outshining Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Williams. Adams posted 854 yards in 11 Jets games and has secured another big payday.
Officially releasing Adams last week, the Jets made the three-time All-Pro a street free agent. That allowed him to speak with teams before the legal tampering period, which starts Monday. The Rams, who have not yet separated from Cooper Kupp, are spending big bucks to help Matthew Stafford after his recent recommitment to the team.
Linked to a West Coast landing spot weeks ago, the Fresno State alum sought at least $20MM per year and indeed was looking to return to his home state, Rapoport adds. Adams will now pair with Puka Nacua, coming in as a hired gun as the Rams — after losses in the wild-card and divisional rounds over the past two years — attempt to book a third Super Bowl berth in the Sean McVay era.
McVay told Kupp early this offseason the Rams were moving on, and Sunday night’s news cements it. Three years after giving Kupp a three-year, $80MM extension following his triple-crown season, the Rams are adding a bigger name. Adams is a year older than Kupp, but he has been much healthier than the 2021 All-Pro. The former Packers, Raiders and Jets star has missed only four games over the past four seasons. One of those (in 2021) came due to rest, and the three others were during a period in which Adams wanted to leave Las Vegas. Although Aaron Rodgers will not be coming with him, Adams will link up with one of the NFL’s most reliable offenses and attempt to make a difference.
Adams will go from leading a receiving corps housing Garrett Wilson to one including Nacua, as the veteran — after some squandered years from a contention standpoint — will return to a Super Bowl threat. Adams still posted a third straight first-team All-Pro season during his Derek Carr reunion season, but the Raiders had begun to decline. Adams showed visible frustration with the Raiders’ ensuing Jimmy Garoppolo plan the next season, calling for a benching of the 2023 FA signing. With Adams tied to Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell last year, the fit predictably ended quickly.
Even with the Jets going 5-12 during Rodgers’ comeback season, Adams played well. His 2023 season with Garoppolo and O’Connell also produced a 1,000-yard year. Adams will head to Los Angeles on the heels of six 1,000-yard seasons in his past seven. We ranked Adams as our No. 15 overall free agent, as only Chris Godwin came in ahead of the off-and-on Rodgers target. The $26MM guaranteed effectively justifies that placement, as the Rams will pay Adams while Nacua is still on a rookie deal. Nacua does not become extension-eligible until 2026.
Rodgers has not committed to even playing in 2025, but that is the expectation. It would appear his days of playing with Adams are over. Adams helped Rodgers to two MVPs, playing a tertiary role in his 2014 honor (Adams’ rookie year). Rodgers was briefly linked to the Rams, as they were sorting out their Stafford situation. Now, Rodgers is being connected to the Giants, who aggressively pursued Stafford during his trade talks. As the Giants and Raiders fell short, Stafford will play a fifth Rams season and have one of this era’s best pass catchers to target alongside Nacua.
