On Tuesday morning, WR Davante Adams and QB Aaron Rodgers were reunited as teammates for the first time since 2021 after the Jets made a trade to acquire Adams from Las Vegas in exchange for a 2025 conditional third-round pick.
On Wednesday, the pair participated in meetings at 1 Jets Drive. And it was during the morning's team meeting that Rodgers had an exciting moment of realization.
"He sat next to me in the team meeting today and I turned to him and just went, 'How crazy is this?'," Rodgers said. "When we get together in the offseason, we joke about getting back together but it never seemed like a real possibility that this was ever going to happen. So, it is good to be with him."
Adams, who has a wife and two kids living in Las Vegas, is staying with Rodgers while he gets settled in New Jersey. Rodgers and Adams played together in Green Bay from 2014 to 2021 and the two connected for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns. In 2020-21, Rodgers' back-to-back MVP seasons, Adams made consecutive first-team All-Pro appearances and caught 238 passes for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns.
"He is staying with me for the short term, so we went into some of the signals, and he knew about 95%," Rodgers said. "And he knows the original, to the second iteration to the third and then on down, so his knowledge of my game is pretty extensive. He looks like he is drinking the elixir from the Fountain of Youth watching some of his clips."
Adams missed his last 3 games with the Raiders while nursing a hamstring injury he sustained against the Panthers in Week 3. However, Adams is expected to make his Jets' debut Sunday vs. the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
"I expect to be on the same page with him and hoping that we click," Rodgers said. "He has been out for the first few weeks with an injury, and we haven't played together since 2021, but we have a ton of memories to call upon. He has a presence about him that is palpable when he walks onto the practice field or in a meeting. Obviously, he brings the clout and the accolades for someone who is at the zenith of his profession. Really fun to have him."
For as excited as Rodgers is about having Adams, he is eager to see what his presence will mean to the entire offense, in particular, third-year wideout Garrett Wilson.
Wilson, who is coming off consecutive 100-yard receiving games, has faced the 7th highest double-team rate in the NFL through the first 6 games according to Pro Football Focus.
"[Davante] can do a lot of different things," Rodgers said. "He can play all three positions. He has a high football IQ, and I think it is going to help Garrett. G has faced a lot of different coverages over the course of the first 6 weeks and now teams will have to pick their poison when deciding who to defend."
During the Jets' 3-game losing streak, they have converted a TD on 33.3% of red zone trips, tied for third worst in the league. In Weeks 1-3, the team had a 75% red zone TD rate, the third-best. In addition to helping Wilson, Rodgers thinks Adams can help cure some of their more recent red zone woes.
From 2020 to 2023, Adams led the NFL in red zone receptions (67) and red zone touchdowns (34). And in 2021, he caught a league-leading 14 red zone touchdowns, the next closest had 9.
"'Tae has been a monster in the red zone," Rodgers said. "A lot of on schedule and off-schedule touchdowns. But I think he can help teach the young guys who are willing and eager to listen and learn. He is a master of route running and releases and always working on his craft. He looked good."
