Superstar Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams spoke for himself Tuesday on “Speak” about one of his famous “a quarterback doesn’t make me” comment from last year.
The three-time First-team All-Pro recipient was ecstatic when he received the award for the third straight season following the 2022 campaign. And while the honor itself was no different from previous years, Adams felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulder given that it was his first without Aaron Rodgers.
Adams had been viewed as a product of Rodgers’ greatness for many seasons during the height of his career in Green Bay, and for the 31-year-old, the 2022 nod with the Raiders was a testament to his individual greatness. And during that offseason, he spoke brazenly about his own brilliance.
“It proved that I am me,” Adams told The Ringer in an interview published in May 2023. “A quarterback doesn’t make me. … I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level. … You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn’t need Aaron Rodgers. When I got it, I was like, ‘All right, I’ll never care about another one.'”
Adams doubled down on his statements Tuesday.
“I’d like to think that I’m a very direct person,” he told “SPEAK” co-host Emmanuel Acho after he was asked about the comments. “I was definitely not trying to throw a hint at anything. It was direct. Having a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, obviously that’s gonna help anybody. … But as you saw with that next season, everybody thought that ‘Maybe he’s just a product of Aaron Rodgers’, and that was just me saying I’m absolutely not that. I am my own player. I’m a generational talent, and I take a tremendous amount of pride in what I do, which is what led my being the player that I am.”
Adams was sure to give those who’ve helped him in his journey their flowers, but emphasized that no one factor was more important to his success than his own work ethic. He also explained that Rodgers himself agreed with his comments.
