NFL’s Top 100 Players: Rodgers Third, Adams Sixth

Combined, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have lifted the offense, and each other, to new heights.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers went 0-3 in the preseason with three touchdowns scored. With the presence of two of the top six players in the NFL, it will be a different story in the regular season.

In the finale of NFL Network's annual player-voted Top 100 Players series, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was voted the third-best player in the league while his favorite receiver, Davante Adams, was sixth.

Combined, they elevated the offense, and each other, to new heights.

Rodgers is the three-time and reigning MVP. He is coming off a season in which he became only the second quarterback over the past 80 years to lead the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown percentage and interception percentage. His passer rating was the second-best in NFL history, trailing only his mark from 2011. Adams, of course, was a big part of that success as part of the NFL's No. 1-ranked scoring offense.

After struggling a bit in 2018 and 2019, Rodgers was all-time great in 2020. Despite attempting 47 fewer passes than the year prior, Rodgers had 19 more completion, 297 more yards and 22 more touchdowns. His completion percentage went from 62.0 to 70.7, his yards per attempt soared from 7.0 to 8.2, and his passer rating rocketed from 95.4 to 121.5. His 48 touchdown passes weren’t far off from his combined total of 51 in 2018 and 2019.

Now, after an offseason filled with turmoil, Rodgers is back with Adams and some of his other close friends with the goal of winning his second Super Bowl.

“It’s about winning rings and being champs but that’s not the focus,” he said in a national radio interview with Adam Schein recently. “If that’s the focus, you’re going to miss out on all the little things that add up to championship culture and championship environment and championship teams. My daily focus is on having a good pulse on the team and seeing how guys are doing confidence-wise, who’s struggling, who needs a pat on the butt, who needs a pep talk, who needs a pump-up talk, who we’ve got to rein in a little bit, where we can stretch certain things in the offense, who needs encouragement, what coaches need more of a voice, what’s the messaging that’s best for our team at certain times. That’s the stuff that adds up to putting yourself in good position by building that culture and that chemistry. And then, as long as you’re winning, then you have an opportunity to achieve all those things.”

Adams, the top-ranked receiver, also is coming off one of the great seasons in NFL history. He caught 115 passes for 1,374 yards and the 18 touchdowns. He became the only player in NFL history with 110-plus receptions and 18-plus touchdowns. Add in the playoffs, he scored 20 touchdowns over 16 games. Everybody knew where the ball was going; nobody could stop it. And it wasn’t as if the Packers were force-feeding Adams to the detriment of the offense. Passes to Adams were rewarded with a 136.9 passer rating (No. 1) and 78.8 percent completion rate (No. 3).

Not only did Adams lead the NFL in touchdowns, but he led the NFL with 98.1 receiving yards per game and 8.2 catches per game. Had he not missed the two games, he might have joined Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992) and Steve Smith (2005) as the only players in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving triple crown of most receptions, yards and touchdowns in a season.

“You know, I’ve said for so long that Charles (Woodson) was the best player that I played with,” Rodgers said last season. “And Charles could dominate in a way that I’ve never seen a nickel corner dominate before. (But) it’s probably time to start putting Davante in that conversation. Because he is that type of player. He’s a special player.”

The Packers have six players in the Top 100. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was No. 1.