This season hasn’t gone as planned for Davante Adams. After starting the year with the struggling Las Vegas Raiders, he was given a fresh start with the New York Jets. While his reunion with his close friend Aaron Rodgers made for an interesting storyline, the Jets have just two more wins than the Raiders this season, and they have been eliminated from the playoffs. Now, Adams is hinting that his days in the NFL could be numbered.
Davante Adams Hints That He Could Be Nearing Retirement
On Tuesday, Adams appeared on “Up & Adams,” and Kay Adams asked him if he would ever consider playing for the Chicago Bears. Considering his longtime stint with the Green Bay Packers, his response wasn’t a surprise: “No. … I will not be going to Chicago.”
However, it’s what Adams said in between that turned some heads.
“I’m not playing too much longer as it is, so on my last days in this league, after all I’ve been blessed with, I will not be going to Chicago,” Adams said.
This sounds like a player who may be contemplating retirement. Adams will turn 32 years old one week from today and he has played 11 seasons in the NFL. After more than a decade in the league, is it possible that Adams is seriously considering hanging up his cleats?
It’s worth noting that Adams still has two years remaining on the five-year, $141.25 million contract that he signed in 2022. However, he’ll either be released or the deal will be reworked.
Here’s what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote earlier this month: “Adams is on the books for $35.64 million for each year in 2025 and 2026. The Jets will never pay him that kind of money at age 33 and 34. All sides know those numbers will have to be redone.
“If Adams wants out, he can simply decline any offers to redo the deal and wait until they release him before free agency begins on March 12 (rather than carry that number into the new league year). Adams controls his own path.”
Adams could hit the open market and try to join a new team. It’s also possible he could decide to retire and move into the next chapter of his life.
Adams has done incredibly well for himself throughout his playing days, making $129,528,141 from his NFL contracts alone (without even factoring in his endorsements and other off-field ventures).
Even if he doesn’t retire this offseason, it sounds like he isn’t planning to play much longer.
This season, Adams has appeared in eight games, catching 49 passes for 651 yards and five touchdowns. He’s clearly still capable of producing at a high level, as evidenced by Sunday’s 198-yard, two-score explosion in New York’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even at this stage of his career, Adams is arguably the NFL’s best route runner, with a release package that is unparalleled. Across his 11 NFL seasons, Adams has totaled 939 receptions, 11,641 receiving yards, and 101 touchdowns across 161 games. He is a three-time first-team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time receiving touchdowns leader.