Davante Adams reveals just how badly the Packers fumbled his exit

It was strange when it happened, but now that we have his side of the story, it makes all the sense in the world why Davante Adams left the Green Bay Packers for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency three offseasons ago. Adams may have been frustrated with the annual offseason circus surrounding Rodgers' team and playing status. Plus, he could play with his former college teammate in Las Vegas.

Derek Carr may have left Las Vegas after the 2022 NFL season for the New Orleans Saints, but Adams still seems quite comfortable with the Raiders. He is well on his way towards being a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, one who still has another great chapter or two to pen with the Silver and Black. Of course, it was not just Rodgers' nonsense that contributed to this. It was the Packers' front office.

Here is what Adams told Keyshawn Johnson on "All Facts No Brakes" on what went down in Green Bay.

“It’s a whole lot that go into it, man. I don’t ever make a decision out of just passion or whatever. It’s always calculated. Everything that I do is calculated. And you know, just the surface level, we seen how much Aaron was going back and forth, year after year. We didn’t know how long he was going to be in Green Bay," said Adams, h/t Wisconsin Sports Heroics.

After setting the table with the Rodgers situation, Adams went on to talk about his contract status.

“And honestly, since we talking about it, going into the last year I played in Green Bay, I told [the front office], ‘Hey, you see what I’m doing. It’s time for a new deal. Are we going to let me go into this last year with no security?’"

Adams mentioned that he was playing on a deal well below what the franchise tag would net him.

“[I was] basically playing for $12 million, which was significantly less than what a franchise tag would even be. So I’m playing for worse than what the tag is, no security, [I had to] take out a Lloyds of London insurance policy to make sure that I’m compensated, which still wouldn’t have taken care of me the way I would have needed it to."

After taking out a Lloyds of London insurance policy, Adams told the Packers he was ready to sign.

“Long story short, I say to them, ‘You see it’s All-Pro after All-Pro. What do you need to see in order for you to feel like you can pay me right now?’ “Look, I said, ‘Pay me right now and we don’t even need to worry about, I’m not even going to consider that Aaron may be out of here. Let’s do it now. It’s up to J Love and Aaron is out of here, well we’re going to rock with that.’"

Well, the only problem is Packers misread the situation and offered Adams a below-market contract.

“So I told them that and they said, ‘We’ll give you $17 million a year.’ So I said, ‘Click. There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t know if you’ve seen what the market is, but there is nothing to talk about.'”

Here is Adams going on record with Johnson on "All Facts No Brakes" about why he left Green Bay.

This was not the first time that Brian Gutekunst tried to stiff arm a player, only to lose him in the end.

Green Bay Packers front office to blame in Davante Adams departure

For those who don't remember the contract Adams signed with the Raiders after walking away from the Pacers, it was a five-year deal worth $140 million. This means he is entering year three of the deal, earning roughly $28 million in average annual value. Keep in mind that he was an All-Pro with the Raiders in 2022, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson makes $35 million annually.

In the offseasons since Adams left for Las Vegas, he now ranks sixth in wide receiver average annual value. Five more wideouts have eclipsed his pay threshold since Adams joined the Raiders. Of course, the Packers need to figure out what to pay Jordan Love now that he is entering year two since replacing Rodgers as the starter. He is in a contract year. Plus, who's the Packers' No. 1 wide receiver?

Exactly! If Green Bay still had Adams, they might be my pick to win the NFC this season. While I don't trust Matt LaFleur in big moments, we saw Dan Campbell forget how to use special teams to his advantage in San Francisco last year. The Detroit Lions may be my pick to win it all this season, but they need to take care of business, as they will be losing both of their coordinators next offseason.

For now, we need to take Adams at his word and respect the fact that he left Green Bay accordingly.