Watch New York Jets Superstar Receiver Make First Comments Following Trade

New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams met with the media for the first time after Monday’s trade.

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Davante Adams got his No. 17 back from rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley.

He showed off his new cleats, complete with New York Jets green stripes on the side and his No. 17 on the heel.

And he talked about the trade from the Las Vegas Raiders for the first time as he took his first reps with his new team on Wednesday at Florham Park.

The Jets gave up two conditional draft picks and reworked Adams’ 2024 cap hit to reduce it for this season by adding two voidable years to the end. The Jets and Adams have both said that they would like to get a longer deal in place in the offseason.

Adams admitted that the past couple of weeks have been a “roller coaster,” but he's glad that things have landed in a place where he can contribute the way he wants.

"It was time for a change...we're in a better place, the Raiders are in a better place"

Davante Adams on the trade: pic.twitter.com/e7K2mQzV9C

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 16, 2024

“It's been a roller coaster for sure,” Adams said. “It's a weird thing to say, you know, that I'm happy. But you know, obviously, it was time for a change and, you know, this whole thing kind of transpired a little weird. But at the end of the day we're in a better place, I think that Raiders are in a better place as well and everybody can kind of move on. But it’s definitely been a roller coaster, a little bit up and down, left and right, here and there but we ultimately got it done.”

For the past few weeks Adams has been out with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 3. In the interim, it became clear Adams was angling to get out of Las Vegas via trade.

The rumor mill swirled around several teams, including the Jets, who had one thing the other teams didn’t — Adams’ former Packers teammate, quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The deal didn’t get done until late Monday night and Adams reported on Tuesday, passing his physical. He took his first practice reps in a walkthrough and both he and interim coach Jeff Ulbrich expect him to play Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Him saying that the Raiders were better off after the trade was interesting and raised another question. After all, Adams caught 203 passes in his first two seasons with Las Vegas and already caught 18 in his first three games. Production didn’t seem to be an issue.

In a long answer compiled by The Athletic, Adams made it sound like the Raiders’ approach to how their offense would attack certain defenses didn’t fit Adams’ approach to the game, which was built with the Packers and Rodgers.

"… a lot of the success me and Aaron had, we were on the same page,” Adams said. “He and I, whether it was the signal he gave changing the play or knowing when the ball was going to come out, understanding that just because you’re trying to double team doesn’t mean you’re covered, you can always beat a safety with a ball. Just because they want to line up with the safety and try to play Cover-2, we don’t just shut it down and move on. Sometimes you gotta find a way to still make the play work because if you’re just looking for single coverage in order for me to make a play, I won’t be able to make many plays over the course of a year just based on how I’m being played by a lot of these defenses.”

There should no familiarity issues with Rodgers, as the pair played together for eight years. Adams is staying with Rodgers and the quarterback said the two are already on the same page with “95%” of the hand signals used during games.

The Jets are hoping Adams will get a chance to read those signals on Sunday.