Aaron Rodgers’ silence on Davante Adams trade speaks volumes

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn’t said anything on the departure of Davante Adams, which is surprising considering their history. 

Despite their recent split, Davante Adams loves Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Rodgers loves Davante Adams.

Rodgers said in December 2021 that Adams was the best player he’s ever shared the field with in his 17-year career.

Adams made it clear he felt the same way as soon as he touched down in Las Vegas, clarifying that he’s well-aware he got to play with the greatest quarterback of all time.

“It was really an idea up until it was done. Me playing in Green Bay, a great situation, having the greatest quarterback to play the game, that’s a dream in itself,” Adams said of his Packers departure. “It’s not the first time an impactful player to an org has had to leave. I feel like it worked out for both sides ultimately.”

It did work out for Adams, who gets a five-year, $140 million deal and the chance to see his family in California more frequently. Maybe not as much for Rodgers, who also lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Kansas City Chiefs soon thereafter.

With so much respect and appreciation between these two greats, it may come as a surprise then that Rodgers hasn’t said anything about Adams’ decision to join the Raiders. It’s common locker room courtesy to call up and welcome new teammates, as well as say goodbye when a beloved teammate leaves.

Rodgers may have spoken with Adams privately, but the absence of a proper goodbye publicly is uncharacteristic of him. Russell Wilson said goodbye to the Seahawks and his own GOAT teammate, Bobby Wagner. Randall Cobb shared his goodbye to Adams over Instagram. Seeing that Rodgers, who is no stranger to making statements over social media nor to publicly showing gratitude, said nothing is surprising when considering his connection to Adams.

Aaron Rodgers remains silent on the Davante Adams move

As Adams said, he is appreciative of his time in Green Bay, but professional football is ultimately a business. Although monetarily the deals offered between the Packers and Raiders were the same, Adams had the desire to play for the Raiders with his longtime friend Derek Carr. Still, that wasn’t necessarily a slight against Rodgers, as Adams and Rodgers created magic together in their years in Green Bay. As talented as Rodgers is, his two consecutive MVP trophies should be shared with Adams more than anyone else on the team.

Considering Adams’ monumental contributions to the team, it would seem that he deserves a proper goodbye from Rodgers, who has spoken on everything from his COVID beliefs to his Halo competition in the quarterback room. When Rodgers thanked his teammates recently in a cryptic Instagram post about his future, he mentioned other teammates by name, but not Adams (although Adams is featured in one of his photos.)

Adams also hasn’t mentioned Rodgers or featured him on Instagram, but he normally doesn’t: most of his photos are of himself and his family.

It should be noted that while he hasn’t posted anything yet himself, Rodgers did like the Packers’ goodbye to Adams on Twitter.

Not everything can be deduced from social media, but these platforms do offer some insight into the mind of professional athletes. As a leader in the locker room and an icon in Green Bay, Rodgers should have been the first person to express how much he appreciates Adams and wishes him well on his journey—especially since Rodgers was contemplating free agency himself and should understand how difficult these decisions can be.

Eventually, Rodgers will field questions about Adams at press conferences, and he will surely continue to say that he’s the greatest he’s ever seen. Still, his silence in the wake of Adams’ departure is odd to say the least.