After just one season with the Los Angeles Rams, Davante Adams was looking likely to move on and join another roster in the offseason. He had a stellar season playing under Head Coach Sean McVay, but with the Rams building a roster to compete for a championship, it seemed like they would trade Adams for the right player. One of the teams linked with Adams was an NFC rival, with whom he has a long history, but eventually McVay decided against trading the veteran WR.

“Back in March, I was told that the Rams were having discussions with teams about moving WR Davante Adams, with one of the teams being the Green Bay Packers,” wrote Easton Butler on X. “The Rams reportedly wanted a young player, or picks in return. The extent of the conversation with the Packers about Davante didn’t go beyond initial talks.”

While McVay had himself confirmed during the owners’ meetings that the team had looked at options for Adams, this is the first time a team name has come into the picture.

What makes this report particularly interesting is the involvement of the Packers. Adams started his career and established himself as one of the league’s elite wide receivers in Green Bay. With the Packers, Adams earned five straight Pro Bowl selections along with two All-Pros. He also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2020 and set multiple franchise records for the Packers. This included single-season records in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Interestingly, Adams’ entire tenure with the Green Bay Packers came alongside Aaron Rodgers. Meaning he never had the opportunity to catch passes from the current franchise quarterback, Jordan Love. Love only officially took over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback in 2023.

If this trade had materialized, it would have marked a dramatic return to Green Bay for Adams. Considering both the Packers and Rams are perennial playoff contenders in the NFC, there would have been a decent possibility that Adams could have faced McVay and the Rams in the playoffs. The Packers have dominated the Rams in recent years, having won all five of their recent matchups.

Adams is in the final year of his two-year, $44 million contract with the Rams. He is going to turn 34 this season, which is likely why the Rams are inquiring about a trade to possibly assess their future options in the WR room.

McVay confirmed that Adams was made aware of the team’s decision when the trade talks were happening. The HC confirmed he took the news well.

“He’s a grown man, and I think he understood that this is a part of this business, but I think what he also understood is at the end of the day,” said McVay. “You’re a Ram because this is what’s best, and I’m excited to move forward with him.”

With Adams now set to stay,  he will be hoping to prove to the team that they made the right choice. Although he is going to turn 34, the player still has a lot left in the tank. With the team going into another year as favorites to win it all, a player with Adams’ experience will be instrumental in their journey.

Rams Still Need Davante Adams for Matthew Stafford Super Bowl Push

The  Rams are clearly in a win-now mode entering this season. That is further reflected by the fact that, according to ESPN, the Rams currently stand as the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LXI at +800. The Rams have assembled a roster that appears ready to compete for a championship right now after putting together multiple deep playoff runs over the last two seasons.

Matthew Stafford is also coming off arguably the best season of his career after winning league MVP at age 37. Meanwhile, stars such as Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, and Jared Verse are all firmly in their primes. Despite the Rams’ surprising selection of Alabama QB Ty Simpson to be their future franchise QB, they are very much looking to win another  Super Bowl with Stafford as their star player.

Adams also played an important role in the Rams’ success last season after catching a league-leading 14 touchdown passes. He accomplished this feat in his 12th NFL season at age 33. The Rams also attempted 430 passes out of 11 personnel last year, which ranked ninth in the NFL. The 11 personnel formation typically features three wide receivers on the field. So this makes Adams an even more important piece within the structure of the offense. With Adams serving as the primary 2nd option opposite Nacua, a trade would have been a puzzling choice on McVay’s part.

Adams will now once again remain firmly entrenched within McVay’s offensive plans as the franchise pushes towards a Super Bowl run.