Why Davante Adams rejected the 49ers before signing with the Rams
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch attempted to sign Davante Adams at under market value which drove him to signing with Sean McVay and the Rams.
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Davante Adams (Via twsn.net)
Championships do not define a player’s legacy and greatness. They serve as feathers in an athlete’s crown. In the history of the NFL, there have been a few wide receivers as talented and hardworking as Davante Adams. The six-time Pro Bowler is one of 12 players to have 100 receiving touchdowns, and his route-running skills have become synonymous with perfection.
Despite his remarkable accomplishments, Davante Adams has had a rough stretch since he left Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. His stint with the Las Vegas Raiders was short-lived, and his half-season as a New York Jet was forgettable. Adams now finds himself closer to home after he signed with the Los Angeles Rams. However, a native of East Palo Alto, California, Adams would have felt most at home by signing with the San Francisco 49ers.
His joining the 49ers was a realistic option. The franchise has cleared its house by trading/cutting players whose downsides exceeded their upside. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch had the capital to bring Adams on board in free agency and courted the wideout before he made up his mind to join Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles.
Their pitch, however, was not satisfactory to the star’s liking. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Davante Adams revealed the reason for picking the Rams over the 49ers. After spending his last two seasons with losing franchises, his mind is firm about one thing: wherever he goes next, he wants to know that the franchise is capable of winning games. Adams gained a bad rap as his stint with the Raiders and Jets was plagued by instability.
He went to Las Vegas to reunite with his college quarterback, Derek Carr, but the franchise traded Carr shortly after. The Jets were as dysfunctional as ever when he arrived, and contrary to popular belief, his addition to the team made little to no difference in deciding the team’s fate at the end of the 2024-25 season. He put more thought into deciding where his next year would be after the rough end to the year.
Davante Adams hopes to fulfill his dream of winning a Super Bowl with the Rams
Adams chose the Rams because it was more than just being close to home for him. The location mattered, but it was not everything.
This is like true optimism versus just hoping. Obviously, knowing what I know about the management there, the players, the team success they’ve had in recent years and just over time…those are usually the type of teams that have stressed success. The most important thing was a good, winning team.
Davante Adams said
A young and energetic HC in Sean McVay wooed Adams to pick LA. The star receiver had multiple options with an estimated half of the teams in the league pursuing him.
However, nobody was as persistent as McVay and the Rams. Although San Francisco has its training facility at a short distance from his hometown, Adams did not feel that energy from them.
I was entertaining the Niners but they were like, ‘We’re paying wholesale. We ain’t paying retail.’ I didn’t talk to them, but that’s what my agent told me- like five times, that quote. And I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m not a wholesale-type dude.‘
Davante Adams added
Adams is the farthest thing from a ‘wholesale player’ in the NFL, and he has the numbers to back it up. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch had their reasons not to jump into offering yet another wide receiver a big contract. With Brock Purdy expecting a big payday, San Francisco needs to watch its spending closely. Considering the situation, the team believed it had a chance to bring Davante Adams at a fraction of what he is truly worth.
However, that did not sit well with the wideout, who immediately lost interest in their pitch. Furthermore, his statement indicates that he had no direct contact with the shot-callers at San Francisco. It makes sense that he opted to go with the Rams, as their HC was actively expressing interest in pairing him up with Stafford.
Despite the 49ers’ reasons to avoid paying him in full, Davante Adams is certain that age has not had much of an impact on his game.
I haven’t lost any speed-which, you know, I didn’t come into the league as a burner, so people weren’t looking to see a 4.2 turn into 4.5. I was high 4.4s coming in, and I’m running the same speeds now. Whether it’s the GPS, or if I could line up and run a 40 right now. I’d probably run a faster 40 than I ran when I was 21 years old. And obviously, I mean, the proof is in the pudding. I don’t need to tell you what I can still do or not.
Davante Adams continued
His 40-yard numbers continue to be the same, and that is reason enough for Davante Adams to believe in his capabilities. Fortunately, he finds himself in a unique position with the Rams. For once, Davante Adams is not the only star on his team.
Paired alongside Puka Nacua, Los Angeles has a fierce duo at the receiving end. It would have been great to see Cooper Kupp continue to stay there and contribute alongside these two, but the Rams front office knows what it’s doing.
With time running out, Adams has just one goal in his career, and that is to win a Super Bowl. To accomplish it in his home state would be the perfect execution of a dream that has been decades in the making.
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