Davante Adams has no regrets over Packers trade but admits Jordan Love is a 'baller'
Davante Adams isn't feeling remorse over asking to be traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, but Jordan Love's emergence with the Green Bay Packers has caught his attention.
The star wide receiver, who asked out of Green Bay in 2022 due to uncertainty over the franchise's long-term situation at quarterback, admitted that he wasn't sure how good Love would be during his time with the Packers.
"At the time when I was there, I hadn't seen enough [of Love], to say for sure 'this is what I should do [stay with the Packers],'" Adams told his teammate Maxx Crosby on "The Rush Podcast." "In hindsight, like we talked about, the kid is a f---ing baller, man. I'm so happy for him."
When Adams was traded to the Raiders, Love had spent his first two seasons in the league sitting behind Aaron Rodgers after the team selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Rodgers had also demanded a trade in the offseason prior, but he signed a three-year extension to remain with the team in 2022.
However, Rodgers only lasted in Green Bay for one more season. He demanded a trade in 2023 before being moved to the New York Jets. That move finally allowed Love to become the Packers' starting quarterback. Following a shaky start to the season, Love settled in and threw for 4,159 years, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 96.1 passer rating, adding 247 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
Love also led the Packers to a late postseason push, helping the team to a 6-2 record in their final eight games to finish 9-8. He continued his strong play in the playoffs, throwing three touchdowns in an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round. He got off to a strong start in the NFC divisional-round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, helping the Packers hold the lead for the majority of the game. But he threw two interceptions in the second half, sealing Green Bay's fate.
Adams, meanwhile, asked for a trade to the Raiders partly because of his friendship with Derek Carr. That only lasted one season as the Raiders opted to cut Carr in the 2023 offseason. Las Vegas notably struggled to replace him in 2023, signing Jimmy Garoppolo but benching him due to poor play in the middle of the season while fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games. Garoppolo was released over the offseason, and the team signed journeyman Gardner Minshew.
This browser does not support the Video element.
As the receiver continued to insist that he doesn't have any regrets about wanting out of Green Bay, he admitted that he would've liked to play with Love.
"I haven’t had the chance to truly sit down and talk with him," Adams said. "But I want to tell him at some point ‘I definitely don’t regret changing, but I’m super proud of what you’ve done. If there was a way I could pull you over here and drag you with me, that would have been cool too.’ Because, obviously, we saw what he did at the end of the year. I don’t regret what I did, but, at the same time, it’s definitely you look back on it like ‘damn, that boy kind of balling right now.’"
Love, 25, has already positioned himself well in arguments to be one of the league's top quarterbacks entering his second season as a starter. Adams also believes Love's already proven to be the next great quarterback in Packers history, continuing the uninterrupted lineage started by Brett Favre in the 1990s.
"I think he has shown that," Adams said. "He is starting to come into his own. You can see the way he is talking in front of the media and everything. It's like a whole different person than what I saw when I was there. That comes with experience."
In terms of which team is expected to perform at a higher level next season — Adams' old squad or his current one — there really is no comparison when it comes to the odds.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are at +1900 to win the Super Bowl, while the Raiders are a long shot at +8000.
In addition, Love is tied with the Chargers' Justin Herbert for the sixth-best odds to win MVP next season, at +1400.
Love and Adams are tied at +6000 to win Offensive Player of the Year.
Lastly, Green Bay's Over/Under win total is set at 9.5, while Las Vegas' is at 6.5, and the Packers are at -168 to make the playoffs, while the Raiders are at -470 to miss the postseason.
Follow along with FOX Sports for the latest news on the NFL and other sports.