“The Grass Is Green Where You Water It” – Reading Between The Lines Of Aaron Rodgers On The Jets’ Potential Davante Adams Trade

Trade rumors are only intensifying about All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. Amid a reported disconnect between himself and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce , Adams has made it clear he prefers to be traded. And that could well lead to a reunion with his former Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, on the New York Jets. Whenever Rodgers speaks, it's big news. Not only does he offer insight and offbeat rhetoric that can be dissected for days, but say what you will about any of his opinions, he's a pretty sharp guy. Or at least he's super calculated in the way he talks to the media. While addressing the Adams controversy on Friday, for instance, Rodgers recognized that he couldn't get too into it for fear of tampering. https://twitter.com/snyjets/status/1842185978716327991 However, you can obviously tell Rodgers wants Adams around. The way the veteran field general described the power of intention and making the best of any situation was particularly noteworthy to me, though. https://twitter.com/snyjets/status/1842186921478410461 Rodgers spoke about the "fearmongering" around the cliché that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. However, humorous/unintentional ties to the Jets/Gang Green aside, his points about putting time in and directing intention to succeed no matter what are only true to an extent. The margins are so slim in the NFL. A superstar quarterback can only overcome so much. A lot of what determines winning or losing is predicated on the culture within an organization, and that starts at the top with ownership. Woody Johnson has basically run the Jets into the ground during his time as owner and has the audacity to call out players in public . Forget the 40 years old, coming off a torn Achilles thing. Rodgers was fighting an uphill battle when he landed with the Jets in the first place. He's quite literally "put intention in" by bringing in a bunch of his pals: former Packers receivers Randall Cobb (now retired) and Allen Lazard, who's playing better this year than last but is still probably overpaid. Then of course, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is Rodgers' right-hand man. So yeah, it's more or less Rodgers trying to forge a Packers Northeast. Adams is merely the latest piece to the puzzle. Perhaps he's the last to ensure the Jets contend for a Super Bowl. You'd like to think so. The data suggests Davante may be on the decline. https://twitter.com/ScottBarrettDFB/status/1841160976504131827 https://twitter.com/jagibbs_23/status/1841505762138317021 Is this because of the reported hamstring injury that Adams is dealing with? It could be some of that. It could also be that Adams isn't locked in. Frankly, I wouldn't blame him. The man arrived in Las Vegas expecting to play alongside his college QB Derek Carr for his last prime years and finally turn the Raiders around. Again, organizational culture, multiple coaching changes, and a move off Carr for nonviable alternatives led to chaos. That's at the heart of Adams' trade request. Given how dynamic Rodgers and Adams were in Green Bay, it's no shock at all that the Jets are the stud wideout's preferred landing spot. https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/1842165366421938615 That said, if Adams is looking at this big-picture-wise, is it worth committing to a prospective contract extension in New York? What if Rodgers doesn't have much left in the tank — or is, dare I say, washed? — after 2024? Talk about the grass not being greener. In terms of franchise quality and, you know, earnings potential, Adams would be going from a tax-free state on a team with at least some future upside to a tax-heavy situation on a Jets team that's all-in and could overhaul their coaching staff if the rest of the season goes south. Were I Adams and the Jets, I'd be hard-pressed to have enough discipline not to pull the trigger on this trade. The New York media market and the instant gratification society we live in demand it. We should know soon enough how this thing's gonna go in any case. My advice to Davante? Freaking book it to Buffalo and help Josh Allen's Bills get over the hump. That's a good organization, with a superstar QB who has a much longer runway ahead. Plus, if a deal gets done in time, how dope would it be to see Davante make his Bills debut on Monday Night Football in Week 6 against Rodgers' Jets?