Matt LaFleur makes bold proclamation on Davante Adams' future

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams might only be in his eighth season in the NFL, but that won’t stop head coach Matt LaFleur from making some bold proclamations. In fact, LaFleur went so far as to say that Adams has the tools, skillset and mindset to be a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Adams, who’s been named to five Pro Bowls and was once named an NFL All-Pro selection at wide receiver, is having a terrific season once again in 2021. Alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have mounted a 12-3 record to date, and Adams has been by far and away Rodgers’ favorite target. This season, Adams has 106 receptions on 148 targets — the next best is running back Aaron Jones’ 47 receptuions on 59 targets — and he’s turned it into 1,362 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 12.8 yards per reception. No other Packers receiver has even eclipsed the 500-yard mark.

“Any time you have guys that are very talented, and you combine that with the work ethic and intelligence, then you start getting Hall of Famers,” LaFleur said. “I think that’s the type of player he is.”

Adams has long been overlooked in his career, but in recent seasons, that’s been far from the case. In high school, Adams, a Palo Alto, California native was ranked a three-star recruit via the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He committed to play college football at Fresno State, and with the Bulldogs, Adams first developed into the top-notch receiver he is today. He was eventually selected in the second round, with the 53rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he’s been with the Packers ever since.

Adams has appeared in 114 games in his NFL career, totaling 652 receptions, 7,930 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns, with his highest season total — 1,386 receiving yards in 2018 — soon to be broken. He needs just 24 more yards to tie that total, and the Packers still have two regular-season games on tap.

“When you have sustained success and you’re one of the top three at the position for multiple years that, in my opinion, should warrant consideration,” Adams’ quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, said Wednesday. “I feel like Davante has done that the last three years and been a top-three player at his position. Obviously, the numbers bear that out.”

Adams, 29, has already etched his name into Packers record books. He’s the franchise record-holder for receptions in a single season, with 115, and his eight games with at least 10 catches, 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns are an NFL record. Entering the Packers’ Sunday afternoon matinee with the Detroit Lions, Adams needs just 60 receiving yards to join Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald as the only receivers in NFL history with at least 600 catches, 8,000 receiving yards and 60 touchdown receptions in his first eight seasons.