Davante Adams’ time with the Raiders had plenty of drama. But nothing quite like his strained connection with Jimmy Garoppolo. Netflix’s Receiver series showed just how bad things got – Adams was caught on camera saying he needed to “get the f— outta here before I lose my f—g life.” Frustrated with the chaos in Vegas, he even backed Garoppolo’s benching mid-season. Now, in a wild twist, the two are teammates again after the Rams signed Adams to a two-year, $46 million deal… and brought in Jimmy G as Matthew Stafford’s backup. 

At first glance, it’s a fresh start. Adams gets to play in Sean McVay’s offense, and Garoppolo is just insurance, right? But Stafford isn’t getting any younger – he’s 37 and has taken plenty of hits over 16 seasons. If he misses time, Adams might find himself staring down more of those Jimmy G ‘hospital balls‘ he hated in Vegas. And this time, he’s got no one to blame but himself. Adams is now spinning this as a fresh start, all he wants, yet someone isn’t buying his version of events. While the Rams’ new star receiver claims his issues were never about Jimmy Garoppolo personally, one voice is calling out what he sees as a classic case of blame-shifting. 

Sports radio host Jim Rome fired back at the WR, saying, “Funniest part is, he’s blaming it all on the Raiders, Davante, that this is all on the Raiders because the Raiders are so miserable that everybody there was experiencing the darkest moments of their lives all at the same time.” Rome did not mince his words adding, “It’s almost like Davante thinks that he’s the victim here when really he’s just made some kind of goofy decisions volunteering to go run to the Raiders… if the Raiders ended up being a pit of misery and one of the dark moments of his life, that’s his own doing. It’s his own fault.”

Adams’ frustration in Las Vegas was real. So real that he openly pushed for Garoppolo’s benching last season, admitting, “Well, my opinion on that was that I signed off on that, and that’s just the reality of it.” Now, with both players in Los Angeles, Adams insists there’s no bad blood, calling Garoppolo a non-issue and chalking it all up to the Raiders’ toxic environment.

Garoppolo, for his part, has stayed diplomatic. “Haven’t seen him in a while. Talented receiver. It’ll be fun seeing him again,” he said, sidestepping any drama. But even if Adams wants to move past the drama, there’s another problem looming. One that could bring all those old frustrations rushing back when he least expects it.

Davante Adams’ Jimmy G nightmare waiting to happen

The Rams are rolling the dice in a big way with this reunion. And everyone’s pretending not to notice the elephant in the room. Jimmy Garoppolo’s resume looks solid on paper – 38 wins in San Francisco, that gutsy 334-yard performance last season, and McVay’s constant praise about him being “starter-quality.” But as Jim Rome brutally pointed out. “All love until Davante has to actually catch passes from Jimmy once again… Just wait until Jimmy G tries to get him killed again.” That’s the real concern here. Adams can talk all day about fresh starts and moving past “dark moments,” but Rome nailed it when he said, “I think the odds are pretty good that we’re going to see some G at some point.“

Here’s the uncomfortable reality. Stafford, while still playing at an elite level, has endured his share of injuries in recent seasons. This time, they’ve got better insurance with Garoppolo. But insurance doesn’t mean much when you’re the one who has to cash the policy. Adams found out the hard way in Vegas what happens when Jimmy G’s your QB – you end up on Netflix documentaries muttering about wanting to “get the f— outta here.” Now he’s right back in the same situation, only this time he chose it.

Adams knows exactly what that means. His Vegas frustrations weren’t just about team dysfunction. They were about the specific challenge of catching Garoppolo’s notoriously risky passes, the ones that made him joke about fearing for his life. Rome’s warning – “Davante, you had best mentally prepare for that possibility so you don’t enter another dark moment in your life” – hangs over this reunion like storm clouds.

The Rams see an experienced backup who’s won big games. Davante Adams remembers the passes that made him want to quit. Both perspectives contain truth. That’s why this gamble is so fascinating. Not because Garoppolo lacks ability, but because we’ve already seen how this partnership falters under pressure. As Rome puts it, we’ll discover Adams’ true feelings about Jimmy G the moment those high-risk passes start flying again.