While Davante Adams may have not had the most cordial of exits with the Green Bay Packers last summer, there’s no denying that his former teammates continue to hold him in very high regard.
The same is the case for head coach Matt LaFleur, who himself had nothing but high praise for his former wide receiver ahead of Green Bay’s Week 5 showdown against Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Green Bay Packers HC Matt LaFleur Has Nothing But Love for Davante Adams
LaFleur obviously has a ton of admiration for what the three-time All-Pro wide receiver has achieved throughout his decorated tenure with the Packers. However, what has left an even bigger impression on LaFleur is how Adams handled himself behind the scenes:
“There’s a lot of things that impact players’ performance on the field that happen off the field. I’ve got so much respect for everything that he was able to do here,” LaFleur said, via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. “He played through a contract year, played injured — and not everybody does that. He was there for our team. He fought through things.
“He told me before the (2022) season, ‘Hey, listen. (If) I don’t have a contract before the season, you don’t have to worry about it because I’m going to come out there and compete.’ And I’ve always respected him at an even higher level than I already did for that, for his ability to compartmentalize just the human element of this game. Because not everybody can do that.”
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Unfortunately, Adams did not get the chance to fulfill his promise to LaFleur. He ended up leaving Green Bay last summer in what turned out to be a rather unpleasant parting of ways.
That’s all water under the bridge now, though, and for his part, all the past drama hasn’t changed LaFleur’s estimation of the former Packers star:
“He’s a phenomenal person,” LaFleur said. “He’s a hell of a competitor, one of the best competitors I feel like I’ve ever been around in this game. It’s not a surprise that he’s continued to produce, because I just know how this guy’s wired. … I’ve got the utmost respect for Davante Adams.”
Davante Adams Reacts to Outpouring of Respect
It’s not just LaFleur who has been heaping praise on Adams. The coach has gone out of his way to make sure that Green Bay’s wide receivers learn as much as they can from Adams’ success with the team. Guys like Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have revealed how beneficial this has been for them as well as how they look up to Adams and everything he’s achieved with the Packers.
Adams isn’t shying away from the outpouring of love. He knows what type of legacy he left in Green Bay, and he’s pleased that they’re giving him the admiration and respect he deserves:
“I love that they appreciate my work and what I’ve put into this game. I definitely appreciate that,” Adams said. “I was one of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of Matt LaFleur’s offense there. So the fact that they’re being presented a lot of those clips — especially with ‘Vrabes’ and the relationship we had — it’s cool to see.
“When I see guys are connecting to it, it makes me feel good that they’re getting out of it what I intended them.”
All the pleasantries will be thrown out the window come Monday night, though.
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