The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped Davante Adams thanks to his “injured” hamstring, but now they’ll (likely) have to play him against the New York Jets. The star receiver orchestrated a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders to joining his former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. But don’t expect that to radically reshape Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s view of his upcoming opponent.
“I was getting ready for Davante [Adams] last week. I’m getting ready for Davante this week, but that’s life in the National Football League”, Tomlin said in his press conference yesterday, via the Steelers’ website. “I’d imagine his acquisition is going to create some news, not only today, but just as it pertains to this game. And I’m respectful of his talents, but I don’t imagine that his acquisition changes our approach to this game a whole lot to be quite honest with you”.
So why doesn’t the Jets acquiring Davante Adams at the 11th hour reshape the Steelers’ plans? Well, the reason is simple—it’s the reason that Adams wanted to go to the Jets in the first place. Regardless of who he’s throwing to, the Jets are still about Aaron Rodgers, first and foremost. And they already had Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard.
“We’re playing an Aaron Rodgers-led group on offense and that means certain things”, Tomlin said. Davante Adams is merely another tool in Rodgers’ quiver for the Steelers to worry about. “When you’ve got a quarterback who’s had the resume that he has and has had the type of success that he’s had, it’s a challenge regardless of who the eligibles are”.
As you might have heard, Rodgers missed nearly all of the 2023 season due to injury. He only has the Jets at 2-4 so far, but most recognize they are a better team than their record. And it won’t be because of Davante Adams if they magically start winning, the Steelers being up first.
Tomlin said that when you play an Aaron Rodgers team, you’d better be prepared to throw everything at him. Even if you come up with a brilliant look, he’ll dissect it once he figures it out. You need to give him enough variety that he can’t decipher what he is seeing.
I don’t think I need to go over Rodgers’ history, or his history against the Steelers, but Davante Adams is also trending toward the Hall of Fame. Over 12-plus seasons, he has 890 receptions for 10,990 yards and 96 touchdowns. And Adams caught a lot of those balls from Rodgers, which the Steelers will obviously be aware of.
Just because Adams and Rodgers have a history doesn’t necessarily mean he will contribute significantly against the Steelers, however. The Jets would obviously like to get him on the field, but they need to make sure he is ready. Whether he plays or not, or plays much, though, the Steelers do have to account for Davante Adams.
