Las Vegas Raiders

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers was apparently paying attention when Davante Adams said he was going from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another Hall of Famer.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, the reigning back-to-back NFL MVP was asked about getting Allen Lazard back after the wide receiver skipped offseason activities in an attempt to get a new contract.

"I mean, it's always tough going from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer," Rodgers cheekily replied.

Aaron Rodgers on going from Davante Adams to Allen Lazard as WR1:

“I mean it’s always tough going from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer. From Davante to Allen, it’s gonna be a transition, but he’s capable of a lot.” pic.twitter.com/pBveMG5Qqh

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) July 27, 2022

In an interview last week, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson asked Adams about the adjustment from Rodgers to Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

"Any time you change quarterbacks from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer ... it's gonna be a little bit of an adjustment," Adams responded.

After the comment received some blowback, Adams clarified his sentiment without retracting anything he said while speaking to reporters Sunday:

"Derek's career, honestly, you look at the numbers that he's had and what he's had to work with and the adversity that he's had in Oakland and coming to Vegas and the type of stuff that's been going on here in the past, which, hopefully we're putting all that stuff to bed, but, yeah, I didn't deliver that message the way that I had in my head. So later, when I saw [the original quote] written out, it kind of made my stomach drop a little bit because I was like, 'Oh, god, here we go. People are going to blow this up and take everything I say, and we're the only team in camp right now.'"

The Rodgers-Adams connection was one of the most successful quarterback-receiver pairings in NFL history.

After a decent start to his career in 2014 and 2015, Adams averaged 142 targets for approximately 97 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards per season, along with 11.5 touchdowns, from 2016 to 2021.

Despite their success together, Adams reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Packers this offseason that would have paid him more than the Raiders' offer of five years and $141.25 million. The five-time Pro Bowler wanted to be in Las Vegas and reunited with Carr, who was his college teammate for three seasons at Fresno State from 2011 to 2013.

Rodgers is very aware of what he's doing at all times. ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg noted in January that the 38-year-old highlighted Atlas Shrugged on his bookshelf during an appearance on ESPN's Monday Night Football "ManningCast" last season because "it was the book with the biggest spine on his bookshelf" and he "suspected that alone might annoy certain people."

Even though Rodgers trolled his former teammate, this is an important training camp for the Packers. They are betting on Lazard to up his game and make up for some of the production lost when Adams got traded.

Lazard is coming off his best season in 2021. The 26-year-old had 513 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 40 receptions in 15 games. He has only had two games with at least 100 yards in four seasons.

The Packers have won 13 games during the regular season in each of the past three seasons but have fallen short of the Super Bowl every year.

Josh McDaniels wants Derek Carr to be thinking like a champion in 2022.

Specifically, Stephen Curry.

The Las Vegas Raiders head coach has been showing Carr film of Curry throughout the offseason as McDaniels helps the quarterback refine his technique.

“The way Curry has the patience and the discipline on his pump fakes before taking those threes … that’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about,” McDaniels said, per Peter King of NBC Sports. “In a double move, if you don’t run the first route well first, the defender never jumps the play, right? Today we didn’t even run the first route, so the defender never budged—he knew the [receiver] was going up the field. Curry’s pump fakes are real. They make the defenders go zooming by.”

McDaniels, in his second stint as an NFL head coach, is attempting to help Carr make the leap from above-average NFL quarterback to bonafide star. The Raiders made an all-in effort to help Carr this offseason, reuniting him with former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams to give the offense a true WR1.

Carr is heading into his ninth season as the Raiders' starting quarterback but has never made a leap into the elite. He threw for a career-high 4,804 yards last season but was limited to 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.

The Raiders signed Carr to a three-year, $121.5 million extension in April—a move that seemed to indicate a long-term commitment until contract details came out. Las Vegas could theoretically move on from Carr early next offseason and take only a $5.6 million dead-cap charge.

If Carr doesn't heed McDaniels' teachings and become a signal-caller Splash Brother, this relationship may be one-and-done.

Davante Adams is already making headlines with his new team.

The wide receiver turned heads when he seemed to call Derek Carr a surefire future Hall of Famer like Aaron Rodgers during an interview with CBS Sports on Friday: "Any time you change quarterbacks from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer ... it's going to be a little bit of an adjustment."

He provided some more context to the situation Sunday.

"But what I meant to say was, 'Even if you go Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, it's an adjustment,'" he said, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. "I wasn't saying, 'Hall of Famer Aaron to Hall of Famer Derek.' So, I'm not retracting my statement at all."

He also compared the situation to a rapper delivering lines in a song:

"Being a rapper, it's very vital, you've got to have the bars, obviously. You know you've got to have the bars. The line's got to be there. But a very, very vital and critical piece of being a rapper is the delivery, right? I wasn't a great rapper the other day.

"What I'm not going to do is take away from that statement because, why is Derek not a Hall of Famer? What I meant, I left one key word out of there because that's not exactly what I meant. But I do think that Derek's career is Hall of Fame-worthy, and why not? Does he have the MVPs right now? No. Has he won a Super Bowl? Not yet. That's obviously what we're chasing."

In fairness to Carr, few quarterbacks in NFL history can match Rodgers' resume.

The Green Bay Packers signal-caller is a four-time MVP, one-time Super Bowl champion, 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection who has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in 10 different seasons.

Adams helped him put up some of those numbers as one of the best receivers in the league during his eight seasons with the Packers, five of which saw him selected to the Pro Bowl.

Carr is a three-time Pro Bowler himself, but he has never won a playoff game and is just 57-70 in his career as a starter. The winning is where he is lacking compared to some of his peers, but Adams could help change that.

"But what I'm not going to do is say Derek is not going to be a Hall of Famer because at the end of the day I believe—and this is not putting any expectations or any added pressure on him because he puts that type of pressure on himself because of what he expects every time he touches the field," Adams said.

Carr and Adams were college teammates at Fresno State and will be front and center for the Raiders for years to come after the wide receiver signed a five-year deal with the team following the trade that brought him over from Green Bay.

If they can compete in a daunting AFC West for the foreseeable future and add some playoff success to the individual accomplishments already on Carr's resume, the Hall of Fame won't be out of the question.

Las Vegas Raiders star Darren Waller isn't going to let contract negotiations impact his decision about suiting up for next season.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Waller said "whatever happens" with contract talks, he is "here playing."

Waller still has two years and $12.5 million in base salary remaining on his deal, but the 29-year-old has certainly outperformed that contract.

Per Spotrac, Waller's $7.5 million average annual salary ranks 17th among tight ends. The $29.8 million total value of his contract is 12th.

On the Ross Tucker Football Podcast in May (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams), Waller said his agent was talking with the Raiders about an extension:

"I understand it, but I know if I focus on it too much, it could take away from my job and learning a new system and just continuing to try to elevate and take care of my body in the right way. I try to focus on those things and let my agent handle that. When decisions need to be made, decisions need to be made."

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is the highest-paid tight end by total value ($75 million) and average annual value ($15 million). Travis Kelce, Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews are the only other tight ends making at least $14 million per season.

Over the past three seasons, Waller has racked up 3,006 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 43 games. He and Kelce are the only tight ends with multiple 1,000-yard seasons since the start of 2019.

The Raiders locked up Davante Adams with a five-year, $141.3 million contract in March after acquiring him from the Green Bay Packers. Adding him to Waller and Hunter Renfrow gives the team high expectations heading into this season.

Waller's production warrants an extension, but the Raiders can take comfort in knowing it doesn't sound like he will hold out if nothing comes of talks right now.

Free-agent defensive end Carl Nassib knew he could potentially affect a level of change when he announced last summer he is gay.

"I stared at the phone for like an hour, just looking at it and trying to hype myself up," he said of the moments leading up to his announcement on social media in an interview on Good Morning America. "The last thing I said was, 'You know what, for the kids.'"

"I just wanted to show that ... it really doesn't matter your sexual orientation." — NFL star Carl Nassib to @michaelstrahan on his decision to come out and his message to kids.

Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/JW2Wd4FLDI pic.twitter.com/qhLYgZoAat

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2022

Nassib explained to GMA's Michael Strahan he told close friends and family members years ago he is gay. He thought it was important to "stay ahead of the narrative" and "own the story" by coming out in public.

The 29-year-old said he received "the most incredible support" from his Raiders teammates in the wake of his message.

In June, Nassib continued his advocacy by partnering with The Trevor Project and matching donations up to $100,000.

Carl Nassib is celebrating #Pride2022 by partnering with the @TrevorProject and matching all donations up to $100K. ❤️

Contributions will help provide mental health resources and suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ youth. Donate now at https://t.co/QgGUzp1XwZ pic.twitter.com/rCbpMiIOqu

— NFL (@NFL) June 27, 2022

Nassib became the first publicly out active player in the NFL. Michael Sam came out in 2014 prior to the NFL draft and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round. Sam didn't appear in a regular-season game with the Rams or Dallas Cowboys, though.

Brian Hosier, the chief operating officer for The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, told The Athletic's Lindsay Jones that Nassib was already making a big impact.

"It’s very inspirational to a lot of our LGBTQIA+ youth, and there was a lot of discussion around it," Hosier said. "We were very proud it was here in our city. I think it goes a long way to come out, express who you are and live your authentic life, which is part of our mission, to give folks the tools to live their authentic lives, whatever that looks like."

Nassib made 13 appearances for the Raiders in 2021, finishing with 21 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Las Vegas released him in March in what was largely a salary-cap maneuver, and he remains unsigned.

A revolution occurred in professional football at the turn of the century. The St. Louis Rams offense emerged as the Greatest Show on Turf and led the NFL in passing for three consecutive seasons.

The streak ended after the 2001 campaign. During that period, the Rams, who were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, averaged 4,992 passing yards per season.

Twenty years later, nine different teams threw for 4,500 or more yards. Further comparison shows only two teams eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in 2001. Nearly half of the league passed that number last season.

Yes, the NFL is a passing league.

To take full advantage of how the game has been trending over the last two decades, teams need weapons on the outside. Those playmakers are now more valuable than ever as the league continues to evolve, and the influx of talent from the collegiate ranks creates more opportunities in the passing game.

Last season, all 32 teams had three or more wide receivers on the field for 65 percent of the snaps, according to Sharp Football's Warren Sharp.

Let's backtrack for a second. While Warner's "American Underdog" story became the basis of a Hollywood film, his wide receivers shouldn't be considered secondary characters. Isaac Bruce is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Torry Holt went on to become a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Az-Zahir Hakim served as a deep threat. And Ricky Proehl played 17 seasons in the league. The talent found among this group helped to create a storybook ending.

Traditionally, NFL economics were built around the concept of four premium positions.

Quarterback, offensive tackle, pass-rusher and cornerback held the most value based in part on how they affected passing games. Wide receiver officially crashed the party this offseason as an avalanche of movement occurred at the position, which helped reset the market.

The Green Bay Packers traded the game's best wide receiver, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders, and he subsequently signed a record-setting $140 million contract. The Miami Dolphins acquired Tyreek Hill from the Kansas Chiefs and signed him to a $120 million deal. The Dallas Cowboys flipped Amari Cooper and his $100 million contract to the Cleveland Browns. The Tennessee Titans decided to trade A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during draft weekend, and he then signed a new $100 million agreement.

Those are just the biggest moves of the offseason (so far).

Currently, 12 different wide receivers are under contract with average annual salaries of between $20-30 million. Nine of those deals were agreed upon within the last few months.

Only three offensive tackles are making $20 million per season. Only one has at least a $100 million deal compared to four at wide receiver. A similar financial trajectory has taken place at cornerback, where three players at the position make $20 million or more annually, with two claiming at least $100 million in total value.

Scarcity remains the biggest difference between the traditional premium spots and the upstart position.

Only 32 starting quarterbacks exist, and some argue the NFL can't even find enough quality options to fill all of those spots. Only so many men are big enough, strong enough and athletic enough to protect a quarterback at a high level from left or right tackle. Cornerbacks are arguably the most athletically gifted players on a football field.

Meanwhile, anyone with enough length, flexibility, core strength and explosivity tends to find his way to the defensive front to harass opposing signal-callers.

Wide receiver is different. Various body types, speed levels and skill sets can thrive in today's game. For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans is 6'5", 231 pounds, and one of the league's best at working down the field and sideline, whereas the Las Vegas Raiders' Hunter Renfrow is 5'10", 185 pounds, and extremely slippery working out of the slot. Yet the two finished only three yards apart with last season's production.

Therein lies the value of being elite in a specific role.

Defenses are adept at keying in on specific talents in order to take them out of the equation or adjusting to make sure a player or a concept won't repeatedly beat them. When a team has wide receivers with complementary skill sets, the position is far more difficult to defend. An opponent can't consistently roll coverage toward one player or bracket one option.

Aside from Adams, there's not a wide receiver who consistently takes over games with little to no help from his fellow targets.

It's important not to have the same types of weapons. An "X" receiver, "Y" receiver and those working in the slot typically have different body types and abilities, much like the starting five on a basketball court.

On the gridiron, a squad should want a taller target, a vertical threat and someone with the quickness to quickly separate while working from the slot. Not everyone runs the routes the same way or has similar ways to win against tight coverage.

Those differences often lead to cohesion and greater effectiveness within the offensive scheme.

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The NFL's Top Five WR Corps

The league's best wide receiver corps have players with varied skill sets as well as plenty of depth.

It's not just about the top individual wide receivers. That's why it became necessary to exclude the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints, though all three were strongly considered.

The five best wide receiver corps for the 2022 season are filled with high-end producers, significant potential and plenty of quality options.

5. Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Erik Ezukanma, Lynn Bowden Jr.)

The Dolphins paid an exorbitant amount to acquire Hill, sending a first-round pick, a second-round selection, two fourth-rounders and a sixth-rounder to the Kansas City Chiefs, but his on-field performance could be well worth it. The 28-year-old wideout is the game's premier deep threat and the league's most explosive target.

Jaylen Waddle broke the rookie record last season with 104 receptions. Cedrick Wilson Jr. set career highs in 2021 with 45 receptions for 602 yards with the Dallas Cowboys. All three present inside-out versatility. The Dolphins also added Erik Ezukanma, who is a 6'2", 206-pound target, in this year's fourth round.

4. Las Vegas Raiders (Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Demarcus Robinson, Keelan Cole, Mack Hollins)

Since Adams became the focal point of a passing attack in 2017, he hasn't had a teammate manage more than 690 receiving yards. During that same span, Adams went to five Pro Bowls and averaged 101 catches, 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns per season. Defenses knew exactly where the ball was going to go and still couldn't do anything about it.

Now Adams is part of the Raiders, and he'll have a little more help than he's accustomed to. Renfrow was one of 10 receivers last season with more than 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards. In March, Adams praised Renfrow, telling reporters, "He might be able to teach me a few things."

Neither Demarcus Robinson nor Keelan Cole is a stronger third or fourth option compared to some of the other depth found on this list, but both are established veterans capable of 400-plus-yard efforts.

3. Los Angeles Rams (Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell)

Cooper Kupp is coming off the single greatest season a wide receiver ever produced with 178 receptions for 2,425 yards and 22 touchdowns through the regular season into the playoffs and on his way to being named the Super Bowl LVI MVP. His contributions from the slot and as a blocker are vital to the offense's success.

Last season, the Rams had Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. on the roster, but injuries affected their playing time. Neither is currently with the team.

The Rams did sign Allen Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million free-agent deal. The 28-year Robinson excels at contested catches down the sideline and already has three 1,000-yard campaigns. Van Jefferson posted an 802-yard campaign last season. Ben Skowronek is a 6'3" target, and Tutu Atwell, whom the team drafted in last year's second round, presents 4.32-second 40-yard-dash speed if he can crack the rotation in 2022.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman)

If ranking the best wide receiver corps were based purely on depth, the Buccaneers would run away with the title. Obviously, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are elite targets. Evans set an NFL record with eight 1,000-yard campaigns to start his career. Godwin is less than three years removed from finishing among the top three in receiving yardage. Injuries, including a torn ACL last year, derailed his last two campaigns.

General manager Jason Licht wasn't content with his options on the roster and signed Russell Gage to three-year, $30 million free-agent contract after he posted back-to-back seasons with at least 66 receptions and 770 yards. Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller and Jaelon Darden could make the Week 1 roster.

The team even signed the top two leading receivers at the FBS level in Jerreth Sterns and Deven Thompkins as undrafted free agents.

1. Cincinnati Bengals (Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Mike Thomas, Trent Taylor)

The Cincinnati Bengals organization found itself at a crossroads last offseason. The team could have gone with either the top offensive lineman to properly protect quarterback Joe Burrow or select the best wide receiver prospect in the draft class. The franchise chose the latter path and benefitted greatly.

Ja'Marr Chase is special. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year grabbed a league-high 10 touchdown receptions of 15 or more yards last season. The "X" receiver has yet to fully mature as a route-runner.

"Last year I was just out there running routes, having fun again," Chase said in May, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic. "Now I’ve got all the small details down, like learning how to set people up before the next route. And I feel more comfortable with the offense."

Chase isn't the only reason why the Bengals are so dangerous. Tee Higgins is a massive 6'4" target who's coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign. Tyler Boyd is one of the game's elite slot receivers, and he has two previous 1,000-yard seasons. That's three 1,000-yard receivers on one roster who have the potential to be the team's leading pass-catcher on any given Sunday (or Monday or Thursday).

Unsurprisingly, every team counted among the top five either traded for an elite target, signed one to massive contract extension and/or sunk a top-10 pick into the position.

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Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre is expecting a statistical drop-off from superstar wide receiver Davante Adams following his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Favre told TMZ Sports in an interview published Saturday it all comes down to the difference between the quarterbacks, the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and Raiders' Derek Carr, saying he'd be "shocked" if Adams maintains the same numbers after the deal.

"I think Derek Carr is a very good quarterback," Favre said. "But he's not in Aaron's league yet. May never be. And that's no disrespect."

Adams emerged as one of the NFL's best receivers during his eight-year tenure in Green Bay. His 69 touchdown catches over the past six seasons are nine more than any other wideout.

He's coming off a terrific 2021 campaign where he recorded career-high totals in receptions (123) and receiving yards (1,553) while finding the end zone 11 times in 16 games. He earned his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and second straight first-team All-Pro selection.

In all, the 29-year-old California native tallied 669 catches for 8,121 yards and 73 touchdowns in 116 contests with the Packers.

Adams' longstanding desire to become the NFL's highest-paid receiver ultimately led to the end of his time in Green Bay, and he got his wish as he signed a five-year, $140 million extension with the Raiders that includes a $28 million average annual salary.

He already has a built-in rapport with Carr after the duo played college football together at Fresno State. The receiver caught 38 touchdowns in 26 appearances between 2012 and 2013.

While that should make for a smooth transition, the question is whether his stats will remain among the league's elite following the move.

For his part, Adams told reporters in June he thinks Carr's skill set isn't that far off from Rodgers':

As far as talent and ability, it's really similar, if I'm keeping it real. They throw the ball a lot different. Derek's gonna fire it in there, and you gonna know that thing's coming quick. Aaron's got the ability to tighten that core up and flick that ball to you. So the release is a lot different, but being able to get the ball to you late, if they see you coming out of a break, not many quarterbacks can get it to you before you get to the sideline if you're outside the numbers already. Having two guys like that with really strong arms, and understand the game, the mental part of it, is another similarity that they have. They both obsess over it and they know everything that's going on out there.

That said, the other factor in play is the Raiders' pass-catching depth, which is better than what the Packers showcased in recent years.

Adams was the unquestioned top target in Green Bay, and while he'll still be the No. 1 WR in Vegas, his new team also features a top-tier slot receiver in Hunter Renfrow and one of the league's best tight ends in Darren Waller.

So it's possible his numbers dip a bit in 2022 through no fault of Carr or himself. It just figures to become a more balanced passing attack than he dealt with alongside Rodgers, where he averaged 153.5 targets over the past four years.

Even with a more modest target share, Adams is a strong bet to remain among the NFL's most valuable offensive playmakers this season.