PALM BEACH, Fla. — As old friends and college teammates reunited in Las Vegas, Derek Carr and Davante Adams are expected to build a formidable passing connection.
Their chemistry and timing as former Fresno State teammates should pay dividends now that Adams has joined the Raiders via trade for first-round and second-round draft picks. He signed a five-year, $141.25 million contract that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the game until Tyreek Hill received a new deal after being traded to the Miami Dolphins.
NFL Annual Meeting 2022: Raiders HC Josh McDaniels previews Derek Carr and Davante Adams connection
Adams, 29, could have remained with the Green Bay Packers, but instead preferred to join the Raiders and live on the West Coast again.
“Hopefully, it will show itself,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said during the NFL’s annual owners meetings. “I’m excited for him to build that kind of chemistry with all of our skill players as the quarterback. Certainly, he and Davante have a relationship. That will be important to their growth. I think them being unselfish and willing to really spread that relationship amongst their teammates is going to be important for us.”
Adams was ranked first on Pro Football Network’s Top 100 list of 2022 free agents. He’s in the prime of his career. Adams had a career-high 123 catches for 1,553 yards to go with 11 touchdowns.
Adams made his fifth Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro for the second time. In just eight seasons, Adams ranks second on the Packers’ all-time receptions list (669) and touchdown catches (73). He’s fourth in receiving yards (8,121).
How productive were Adams and Carr together?
In his final college season playing with Carr, Adams caught 131 passes for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 13 games. Now, they’re renewing their old connection in an ultra-competitive AFC West conference that shapes up as arguably one of the most talented divisions in the game.
“I’m hoping it’s fireworks,” Adams said at his introductory press conference. “We’ve established we know what we’re doing being apart from each other, let alone when we get together. We’re both excited and ready to get to work.
“Derek’s been bothering me to throw every day. I was like, ‘Look, man, I got to sign and do all those other stuff and get some of the logistics taken care of, make sure my (pregnant) wife is not in too much pain.’ We’re ready to get to work and start building on that connection we built over a decade ago.”