Davante Adams has found a new home in Los Angeles, stepping into the role previously held by Cooper Kupp—now with the Seahawks—to serve as Puka Nacua’s running mate in the Rams’ offense. While the 24-year-old Nacua figures to enter the campaign as the undisputed No. 1 receiver ahead of the 32-year-old Adams, the extensive track records of Adams, head coach Sean McVay, and quarterback Matthew Stafford suggest that the veteran wideout will remain among the most heavily targeted secondary options across the National Football League.
Adams experienced a modest statistical rebound late in his career following a trade to the New York Jets, where he reunited with longtime quarterback Aaron Rodgers. During his 11-game stint with the Jets, Adams produced 12.7 yards per catch, 7.5 yards per target, 77.6 receiving yards per game, and seven touchdowns. These figures represented an upward turn from a difficult 2023 campaign that saw him post eight-year lows in yards per catch (11.1) and yards per target (6.5), alongside a six-year low of 67.3 receiving yards per contest. While Stafford may not force the football to Adams in the manner Rodgers historically did, Stafford boasts an exceptional track record of supporting high-level wide receiver fantasy and real-world production, highlighted by record-breaking seasons from Kupp, Nacua, and Calvin Johnson. Furthermore, potential exists for Adams to average double-digit targets should Nacua encounter further durability issues, though analysts project a baseline of roughly seven looks per game whenever Nacua is available on the field. That volume could prove sufficient for strong production relative to his draft position, given Adams’ consistent career capability to command a massive share of his teams’ passing touchdowns—a metric where Nacua has yet to establish the same historic footprint.
Reflecting on his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders, Adams navigated a turbulent environment following the departure of longtime quarterback Derek Carr. Although Carr faced struggles during his stint with the New Orleans Saints, his absence was keenly felt back in Las Vegas, where Adams finished a full 372 yards and six touchdowns shy of his standout 2022 output despite playing all 17 games. Even amidst offensive volatility, the veteran receiver maintained value by securing the second-highest target rate in the league, commanding the football on 31.5 percent of his total routes. However, his catch rate dipped below 60 percent for the second consecutive season, and unlike his dominant 2022 campaign, he could not offset that drop with a high volume of long-distance scores, seeing his yards per catch fall from 15.2 down to 11.1.
Adams saw significant volume in the intermediate passing game, leading the NFL with 55 targets between 10 and 19 yards downfield while accumulating 477 yards on those throws, good for sixth best in the league. He also ranked inside the top 10 for both targets and yards on short passes. Conversely, the deep passing game proved troublesome, yielding just five catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 27 targets thrown 20-plus yards downfield. Despite drawing the 11th-most deep targets in the league, his production suffered significantly, though he did not drop a single one of those deep opportunities. These figures highlighted the offensive limitations under alternative signal-callers, contrasting starkly with his performance in 2022, when he hauled in 593 yards and nine touchdowns on a league-high-tying 38 deep targets under Carr.
During that initial season in Las Vegas under head coach Josh McDaniels, Adams posted a career-high 11.8 average depth of target alongside a 55.6 percent catch rate—his lowest in seven years—while leading the entire NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns. His 180 targets ranked second only to Justin Jefferson, as McDaniels placed a heavy emphasis on his primary receiver and lead running back Josh Jacobs. While the system produced mixed results for overall team efficiency, Adams continued a remarkable string of consistency, recording his fifth consecutive season averaging more than 83 receiving yards per game, building on a foundation established during his illustrious years with the Green Bay Packers.
Long before his time in the desert, Adams forged his reputation as one of the game’s premier wideouts alongside Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State with a 4.56-second 40-yard dash time, Adams developed from a promising prospect into a dominant centerpiece of the Packers’ passing attack. After a modest rookie campaign and an injury-plagued sophomore season in 2015—where he dealt with troublesome ankle and knee ailments while competing for targets alongside Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson—Adams broke out in his third year. That 2016 campaign yielded 997 yards and 12 touchdowns, establishing a vital rapport with Rodgers that would soon make him the undisputed focal point of the offense following Nelson’s departure.
From 2018 onward, Adams cemented his status as a perennial WR1. In 2020, he put together a masterclass of efficiency and red-zone dominance, pulling in 18 touchdowns despite missing two and a half games due to injury. When prorated over a full 16-game schedule, his production that year would have challenged historical receiving records. He led the league consistently in red-zone targets, targets inside the 10-yard line, and targets inside the 5-yard line, utilizing smooth route-running, elite physical strength at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, and exceptional hands to punish opposing defensive backs. Even as offensive coordinators changed—transitioning from Mike McCarthy to Matt LaFleur—Adams maintained an ironclad grip on the team’s primary receiving duties, routinely ranking near the top of the league in total targets, receptions, and scoring output.
As Adams embarks on this next chapter with the Los Angeles Rams, questions surrounding his age and diminishing top-end speed are naturally balanced by his elite football IQ, nuanced route-running, and proven capacity to excel in high-powered offensive schemes. Whether working alongside a dynamic young star in Puka Nacua or serving as a trusted safety valve for Matthew Stafford, the veteran wideout enters the next phase of his career positioned to contribute significantly within the modern NFL landscape.
