Davante Adams Ready for ‘Monster’ He Helped Create, Jaire Alexander

Davante Adams is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. Jaire Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. They will be the big matchup within the big Monday night game.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2017, then-Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams was selected for his first Pro Bowl.

In 2018, the Packers used their first-round draft pick on cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Adams was well on his way to stardom and the Packers needed Alexander to get ready ASAP. So, then-coach Mike McCarthy matched Adams against Alexander day after day after day.

“He’s one of the most locked-in players as far as from the jump that I’ve got to play with,” Adams told reporters in Las Vegas on Thursday in advance of Monday night’s Packers-Raiders clash.

That was obvious from “our first one-on-one” in Green Bay, Adams said. After practice, he walked in the locker room and saw Alexander staring at his iPad.

“He came up to me and asked me what was it that I’d seen that led to me doing what I did on the route,” Adams said, repeating a story he told a few times while he was with the Packers.

“Typically, at that point in my career, young guys coming in, especially a rookie, they’ll come in and they’ll get beat and, ‘We’ll learn from it on tape,’ but it wasn’t something that really got to them to their core like how it was with him. That’s when I knew he was going to be a special player.”

On Monday night, Adams vs. Alexander – two special players – will be the battle within the primetime battle.

Davante Adams vs. Jaire Alexander on Packers Family Night in 2019 :: Photo by Joshua Clark/USA Today Sports Images

Adams has been selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls and is a back-to-back first-team All-Pro. With the Packers, he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2020 and set a franchise record for receptions in 2021. Upon being traded to the Raiders, Adams in 2022 led the NFL in receiving touchdowns again and reached 100 receptions for the fourth time in five years.

Alexander was a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and, after missing most of 2021 with a shoulder injury, was second-team All-Pro again in 2022.

“I won’t say I had nothing to do with it, but I didn’t create that monster, but he definitely turned into one,” Adams said. “It’s always good to see a player, especially a highly touted player like that, get drafted in the first round and then realize his potential and live up to it. It’s fun to see and it’s definitely going to be fun to play against him.”

Thinking back to his rookie year and those daily trials-by-fire, Alexander was appreciative of Adams’ support and willingness to share his expertise and insight. And, you know, maybe the arrival of Alexander kicked Adams’ game into another gear.

“He was always real helpful in that way,” Alexander said. “He would tell me what he liked that I did, or maybe what I can get better at, which is why I respect him. You know, lining up against me, I mean, c’mon, that’s not easy. So, for him to come and give me pointers, I respected that about him.”

Adams is the gold standard at receiver. Among receivers in NFL history, his 87 touchdowns in his first nine seasons are the fifth-most all-time. Four Hall of Famers are ahead of him; a Hall of Famer (Calvin Johnson, 83) is just behind him.

Davante Adams went from second-round pick to NFL star with the Packers :: Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images

Adams and Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Johnson are the only players in NFL history with 9,000 receiving yards and 80 receiving touchdowns through nine seasons. Since entering the NFL in 2014, Adams’ 90 receiving touchdowns are six more than any other player.

Alexander is a gold standard-type player at cornerback. He doesn’t need a measuring stick game to affirm his status. But, make no mistake, emerging with a victory on the field and over Adams is important to him.

“It would feel good. It would feel better with an interception. We’ll see after the game,” Alexander said. “Any win is good, though.”

What would an individual victory look like? Limiting Adams to a catch or two?

“He’s going to get a catch or two on who?” Alexander replied.

Adams and Alexander played in last year’s Pro Bowl. One day, the friends and former teammates struck up a conversation at practice. As part of it, they looked ahead, knowing the Packers and Raiders were scheduled to play this season.

“We might’ve talked about him taking a week off before he played us, so he can be really fresh,” Alexander said. “I do remember that conversation.”

To that, Alexander replied, “I told him I was going to take a week off, too.”

Adams played last week and caught eight passes from backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Alexander took the last two weeks off following a back injury.

Alexander, putting his health at “99.5 percent,” said “I hope to be out there on Monday” against the Raiders.

Really, Alexander has no intention of missing this game.

“I wouldn’t say it’s like the Super Bowl or the playoffs, but you know, it’s kind of like that,” he said. “It is what it is. I can’t miss this matchup. With the best.”

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