Davante Adams: Last season proved I 'didn't need Aaron Rodgers'

Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams feels his play last season buried any notion that he was reliant on former teammate and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Adams, who formed one of the league's most dynamic partnerships with Rodgers over his first eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, didn't miss a beat in his first year with the Raiders. He led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns and totaled 1,516 receiving yards - just 37 yards short of tying his career high.

"It proved that I am me," Adams told The Ringer's Mirin Fader. "A quarterback doesn't make me. ... I make me."

He added: "That's why (last) season meant a lot. Even if I went and played like dogshit next year, they can't say it. Because now I've already proved it throughout the course of a season, played every game, and put together a resume that says I do not need - You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: 'He didn't need Aaron Rodgers.'"

Adams reached 1,300-plus yards in three of his final four seasons with Rodgers. He also earned five straight Pro Bowl nods from 2017-21. That run continued with Las Vegas as Adams garnered Pro Bowl honors again in 2022.

Adams, 30, is set to work with veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo after catching passes from the likes of Rodgers and Derek Carr over the last two seasons.