Davante Adams

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams made the Madden 99 Club for the second consecutive year as part of Madden NFL 22's ratings reveal Monday.

Adams wasn't part of the initial 99 Club in last year's game—the New Orleans Saints' Michael Thomas was the only wideout to receive the distinction at release—but the Packers star was added in December amid a season where he posted 115 catches for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns in 14 games.

"I grew up loving Madden. I still love that game," Adams said at the time. "I put in a lot of work for this, so I'm glad it's paid off and I'm glad that it's getting recognized."

Here's a look at the other top-rated receivers in Madden NFL 22:

Stefon Diggs enjoyed a monster first season with the Buffalo Bills. He led the NFL in both catches (127) and receiving yards (1,535) while scoring eight touchdowns to help quarterback Josh Allen put together a breakout campaign.

The 27-year-old University of Maryland product earned his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections and now is one of the best players at the position in Madden.

Julio Jones will look to make a similar first-year impact with a new team after his June trade from the Atlanta Falcons to the Tennessee Titans. He'd spent his entire career with the Falcons, earning seven Pro Bowl appearances since being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft.

The 32-year-old Alabama native has long been one of the top receivers in Madden, and he shouldn't have much trouble maintaining that distinction in an offense that also features quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry and fellow wideout A.J. Brown.

DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals and Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs are the other marquee targets inside the top five. Both are one point away from the 99 Club.

Thomas has dropped from a 99 when last year's game debuted to 94 in this year's release, and he's expected to miss the start of the season because of ankle surgery, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's a major setback for a New Orleans Saints offense that lost Drew Brees to retirement.

Madden NFL 22 is scheduled for an Aug. 20 release on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Stadia and Steam.

It might just be the last dance for Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams with the Green Bay Packers.

Both star players posted a picture of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on their Instagram Stories at the same time on Friday:

It seems like a reference to The Last Dance documentary that chronicled the Chicago Bulls' final championship run during the 1997-98 campaign. 

Jordan's former trainer, Tim Grover, took issue with the picture choice and compared the championships Chicago won to the lack of championships the Rodgers and Adams pair has won:

Discord between Rodgers and the Packers has dominated headlines this offseason, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Friday that Adams and Green Bay are "in a bad place" and "have broken off long-term extension talks" with "no current plans to resume them."

The wide receiver is entering the final year of his contract in 2021.

As for Rodgers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported he declined a two-year contract extension offer from the Packers that would have made him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Schefter said the rejection was "proof it's not about the money" in reference to his dissatisfaction with the organization.

Packers training camp is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Aaron Rodgers apparently isn't the only star player who has a dicey future with the Green Bay Packers. 

On Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the NFC North team and wide receiver Davante Adams "have broken off long-term extension talks" with "no current plans to resume them."

While negotiations have been ongoing, Rapoport deemed the two parties to be "in a bad place." 

He provided more details:

Adams is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $12.25 million in base salary in 2021.

Green Bay selected him in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, and he has flourished and become one of the best wide receivers in the league. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and was a 2020 first-team All-Pro behind 115 catches for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He went through a stretch with at least one touchdown reception in eight straight games last season and caught a score in each of Green Bay's two playoff games on the way to the NFC Championship Game.

Yet Adams' success has come while Rodgers led the Packers offense.

The quarterback's future is also up in the air, as discord between him and the only NFL team he has known has dominated headlines this offseason. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Rodgers declined a two-year contract extension offer from the Packers.

Schefter also suggested that move was "proof it's not about the money" because it would have made Rodgers the league's highest-paid player.

It remains unclear whether Rodgers will report to training camp, but the Packers apparently have to worry about their star wide receiver as well.

Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams has been voted the best wide receiver in the NFL heading into the 2021 season by over 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players. 

Per a survey conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Adams was listed at No. 1 "on more than half the ballots" cast coming off a stellar 2020. 

DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals, Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills, Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs and Julio Jones of the Tennessee Titans round out the top five receivers. 

Here's the full top 10 list:

1. Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers)

2. DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals)

3. Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills)

4, Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs)

5. Julio Jones (Tennessee Titans)

6. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)

7. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

8. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints)

9. DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks)

10. A.J. Brown (Tennessee Titans)

Adams, Hopkins, Hill and Jones were the only four wideouts who received at least one first-place vote. 

"Just starting to get his due," one AFC coordinator said about Adams. "He wasn't this [good] a few years ago, but you've seen him come into his own. So hard to deal with on the line of scrimmage."

Adams led the NFL with 18 touchdowns and 98.1 receiving yards per game last season. He ranked fifth with 1,374 yards and set a career high with 115 catches. 

Hopkins had no problems adjusting to Arizona's offense in 2020 after spending the previous seven years with the Houston Texans. The five-time Pro Bowler tied his career high with 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. 

"With those big hands and long arms, and the way he competes, I'm not sure I'd want anyone else to make a catch for me if I needed one play with the game on the line," one coach for an NFC team told Fowler about the Cardinals star. 

Jones had the widest variance in his rankings among the top 10. He ranked as high as first overall, but as low as No. 13 due in part to injury concerns. He missed seven games last season with a hamstring issue. 

The three biggest risers among the top 10 this year were Diggs (honorable mention in 2020), D.K. Metcalf at No. 9 (unranked in 2020) and A.J. Brown at No. 10 (unranked in 2020). 

Like Hopkins, Diggs was playing with a new team last season. He was brilliant in helping the Bills rise to the top of the AFC East. The Maryland alum led the league in targets (166), receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). 

Metcalf is one of the most electrifying talents in the NFL. He's averaged 15.6 yards per reception in two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. His 15.7 yards per catch in 2020 was the second-highest in the league among players with at least 80 receptions (Justin Jefferson led the league with 15.9 yards per catch on 88 receptions). 

Brown has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years in the league. The Titans star also has 19 touchdowns in 30 career games. 

Jefferson, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons, Allen Robinson II of the Chicago Bears and Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns were among the notable honorable mentions. 

The Titans were the only team that had two receivers ranked in the top 10. The Bucs came close to joining them, with Chris Godwin included among the honorable mentions.    

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr made it clear this week that he wants former college teammate Davante Adams to join him in Sin City.

During an appearance on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast (h/t ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith), Carr said the following about his desire to pry Adam away from the Green Bay Packers:

"Davante, he's one of my best friends. I'm gonna offer him whatever I gotta offer. I'll buy him a car, whatever I've got to do I'll offer that man. I know he would fit in great with the receivers we have here. He would fit so well in that room. I'm allowed to say those things. Our organization isn't, but I'm going to say it. He's my best friend, I think he's one of the best—he's the best receiver in the NFL."

Carr and Adams had a great connection at Fresno State, leading to both of them being second-round picks in the 2014 NFL draft.

Both of them put up monster numbers in 2013, which was Carr's senior season and Adams' redshirt sophomore campaign.

That year, Carr completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 5,083 yards, 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Meanwhile, Adams reeled in 131 receptions for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns, accounting for nearly half of Carr's scores.

Since making it to the NFL, Carr and Adams have both enjoyed success, combining for seven Pro Bowl selections.

While it can be argued that Carr has plateaued, Adams is continuing to make strides, as he was named a First-Team All-Pro for the first time last season after making 115 grabs for 1,374 yards and an NFL-leading 18 touchdowns.

There is at least some level of uncertainty regarding Adams' future in Green Bay, as he is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2021, and it is unclear if reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will return to play quarterback for the Packers.

If Rodgers does not play for the Packers again, perhaps reuniting with Carr in Vegas could be an attractive option for Adams.

Bringing in Adams could be a much-needed lifeline for Carr, as his long-term future in Las Vegas may be in limbo since he has only led the Raiders to the playoffs once during his career.

Despite that, Carr has Super Bowl aspirations for himself and Adams in 2021, saying:

"He's focused on being a Packer and I know that because I see how he works. I know how he works and I know how much it means to him. He's focused on that and I'm focused on trying to get to the Super Bowl, win the Super Bowl, hopefully he's in it so I can beat his butt too. That's the plan, then recruit him over to the dark side."

A Raiders Super Bowl run during the upcoming season would be a huge shock, as would a Packers Super Bowl run if Rodgers isn't in the fold.

Regardless of how the 2021 campaign plays out, though, one can only assume the Packers will do everything within their power to keep Adams, including placing the franchise tag on him.