Davante Adams
Davante Lavell Adams is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He played college football at Fresno State, and was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Early years
Adams was born to Douglas Adams and Pamela Brown on December 24, 1992. He has a brother and two sisters. From East Palo Alto, California, Adams attended Palo Alto High School in neighboring Palo Alto, California. As a senior two-way starter for the Vikings football team, he led the school to a CIF state championship. He had 64 receptions for 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns and as a Cornerback on defense he totaled 44 tackles, including two for a loss, two forced fumbles, an interception, and four passes defended. He also played basketball and was considered a two-star recruit in that sport. Lettering all four years in basketball, he averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists as a senior. He was recruited by Fresno State, California, Hawai'i, and San Diego State. Adams committed to play college football at Fresno State.College career
Adams attended California State University, Fresno, where he played on the Fresno State Bulldogs football team from 2011 to 2013.In 2011, Adams redshirted as a true freshman at Fresno State in his only season with then-head coach Pat Hill. In the 2012 season, he had a new head coach in Tim DeRuyter. In his collegiate debut, he had 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Weber State Wildcats on September 1, 2012. In the next game, he had 12 receptions for 92 yards in a road loss to the Oregon Ducks. On September 29, against the San Diego State Aztecs, he had eight receptions for 102 yards in the home victory. On October 6, against the Colorado State Rams, he had the first of eight consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. In the win, he had four receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns. On October 20, against the Wyoming Cowboys, he had 11 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. In the next game, a road game against the New Mexico Lobos, he had nine receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns. On November 10, in a road game against the Nevada Wolf Pack, he had nine receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. In the regular season finale against the Air Force Falcons, he had nine receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. On Christmas Eve, against the SMU Mustangs, he had 13 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown in the 43–10 loss in the 2012 Hawaii Bowl. Overall, in the 2012 season, he had 102 receptions for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns. All three led the Mountain West Conference. He also was the conference's Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American. He was the MVP of the 2012 Hawaii Bowl.
Adams started the 2013 season with 14 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. On September 20, against the Boise State Broncos, he had 12 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. On October 5, in a road game against the Idaho Vandals, he had 16 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Two weeks later, against the UNLV Rebels, he had eight receptions for 221 yards and four touchdowns. In the following game, against the San Diego State Aztecs, he had 12 receptions for 87 yards and two more touchdowns. On November 23, against the New Mexico Lobos, he had nine receptions for 246 yards and four touchdowns. In the following road game against the San Jose State Spartans, he had 13 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns. On December 7, against the Utah State Aggies in the regular season finale, he had nine receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown. In his final collegiate game, the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl against the USC Trojans, he had nine receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. Overall, in the 2013 season, he led the nation with 131 receptions for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns. He set a Mountain West Conference record with his 24 touchdown receptions, eight more than any player in the country in 2013, and the total ranks fourth in single-season FBS history. He also set Fresno State career records for receptions and touchdown receptions despite playing just two seasons for the Bulldogs. He was named second-team All-America by The Associated Press.
On December 27, 2013, Adams announced that he would forgo his final two college seasons and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
College statistics
Professional career
Adams was selected in the second round by the Green Bay Packers in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the 9th wide receiver to be selected that year. On June 12, 2014, he signed a contract with the Packers.2014 season: Rookie year
After playing in the number four receiver slot in his NFL debut against the Seattle Seahawks, Adams took 37 snaps in the second game against the New York Jets, where he had 5 catches for 50 yards. Entrenched as the Packers' number three receiver, on October 2, Adams scored his first NFL touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers in a 42–10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. On October 26, Adams had a personal-best 7 receptions in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. He tallied his first 100-yard receiving game on November 30 with six receptions for 121 yards in a 26–21 win over the New England Patriots. Though a distant third to Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, Adams' 446 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns were a solid rookie contribution to the 12–4 Packers. On January 11, 2015, Adams set the Packers' rookie record for receiving yards in a playoff game with 117 in the victory over the Dallas Cowboys, including a 46-yard touchdown. In the NFC Championship against the Seattle Seahawks, he was held to one reception for seven yards in the 28–22 overtime loss.2015 season
Adams started the 2015 season with four receptions for 59 yards in a 31–23 victory over the Chicago Bears. Adams missed three games after an ankle injury in week 2, and suffered a knee injury in the playoffs. On November 8, against the Carolina Panthers, he had seven receptions for a season-high 93 yards. In the following game, he had a season-high 10 receptions for 79 yards in the loss to the Detroit Lions. On December 3, in the second game against the Lions, he had his only touchdown of the season in the 27–23 victory. In between, his "second season was a dud", finishing fourth on the team in receptions and receiving yards, with 1 touchdown, all for a team without star Jordy Nelson. However, his efforts preparing for 2016 earned him the unofficial "off-season MVP" award.2016 season
The work-ethic paid off, as Adams recorded five touchdowns through his first six games in 2016. On October 26, Adams was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after catching 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears in Week 7. He topped this total with a Packers' season-best 156 yards 47–25 road loss against the Tennessee Titans. On November 28, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 113 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–13 victory. Adams finished as the Packer's second leading receiver with 997 yards on 75 catches for 12 touchdowns. Adams began the post-season with eight receptions including a touchdown, and the 13th-most post-season receiving yards in Packers history with 125 in a win over the New York Giants. He added 76 yards in the division win over the Dallas Cowboys, and a touchdown in the championship loss to the Atlanta Falcons.2017 season
Adams began the year with three receptions for 47 yards in a 17–9 home victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In Week 2, in a 34–23 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Adams had eight receptions for 99 yards, which included a 33-yard touchdown. In the Week 4 game against the Chicago Bears, Adams had to be taken to a hospital in an ambulance after a strong helmet-to-helmet hit by Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan, who earned a 2-game suspension. The next week, he returned with 7 receptions for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game-winner with 11 seconds left against the Dallas Cowboys.Early in Week 6, starter Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken clavicle against the Minnesota Vikings, and would not return for nine weeks. With inexperienced back-up Brett Hundley, Adams averaged five receptions for 40 yards in three straight losses, before recording 90 yards on five receptions and the eventual game-winning touchdown in a Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears, and 126 yards on eight receptions against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. He also had 82 yards, including a season-long 55-yard touchdown in a Week 12 31–28 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where Hundley showed improvement. After catching only four passes for 42 yards in Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Adams had his first 10-reception game of the season for 82 yards, including the game-tying touchdown with 17 seconds left, and a 25-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime to defeat the Cleveland Browns. At that point, he was tied for second in the NFL with 9 receiving touchdowns. In Week 15, Adams suffered another concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. Due to the concussion, Adams missed the final two games of the season. He finished the season starting in 14 games, finished first on the team with 74 catches for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named to his first Pro Bowl and was ranked 45th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
On December 29, 2017, Adams signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension with the Packers.
2018 season
With the return of Aaron Rodgers from injury, Adams had a touchdown reception in each of the Packers' first three games, while averaging 6.7 receptions for 68 yards. On route to eight receptions for 81 yards in Week 4, Adams suffered a calf injury but continued to play due to more severe injuries to teammates Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison. In Week 5, Adams had nine receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 31–23 loss to the Detroit Lions. In a Week 6 Monday Night Football win over the San Francisco 49ers, Adams recorded 10 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns, including a 38-yard reception, 16-yard game-tying touchdown, and two catches for 27 yards to set up the go-ahead field goal all in the final three minutes. After a Week 7 bye, Adams had his third consecutive 100-yard game with five receptions for 133 yards in a narrow 29–27 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. After being limited in yards but recording three touchdowns in his next two games, Adams had a career-best 166 yards on 10 receptions in a Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. A week later, in a 24–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Adams had five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. In the game, Adams reached 1,000 yards receiving in a season for the first time in his career and scored his tenth touchdown of the season, which gave him his third consecutive season of double-digit receiving touchdowns. He had a touchdown in each of the next two games as well. In Week 15 against the Chicago Bears, Adams had 8 catches for 119 yards in a 24–17 loss, putting him over 100 receptions in a season for the first time of his career. In Week 16 against the New York Jets, with the Packers eliminated from the playoffs, Adams had 11 receptions for 71 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Rather than risk worsening a nagging knee injury, Adams sat out the final week of the season, ending one reception and 133 yards short of the franchise season receiving records.2019 season
During Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, Adams caught seven passes for 106 yards as the Packers won 21–16. Two weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles, Adams recorded a career-high 180 yards receiving on 10 receptions before exiting the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter with a turf toe injury. The Packers went on to lose 34–27. Adams missed the next four games; he returned to the field during a Week 9 26–11 road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing with seven receptions for 41 yards. In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, Adams caught seven passes for 118 yards in the 24–16 victory. After a Week 11 bye, the Packers went on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers. In that game, Adams caught seven passes for 43 yards along his first touchdown of the season and a two-point conversion, accounting for all of the Packers' points in the 37–8 road loss. During Week 13 against the New York Giants, Adams caught six passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns in the 31–13 road victory. Two weeks later against the Chicago Bears, he caught seven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown during the 21–13 win. In the next game against the Vikings on Monday Night Football, Adams caught 13 passes for 116 yards in a 23–10 road victory.In the Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks, Adams caught eight passes for a postseason franchise record 160 yards and two touchdowns during the 28–23 victory. In the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, he had nine receptions for 138 yards in the 37-20 road loss. In the process, Adams became the only Packer with two 100+ receiving yard games in a single postseason and three 125+ such games in a career.