BREAKING NEWS: Aaron Rodgers reveals he initially declined Davante Adams’ phone call before learning about the trade, shedding light on the surprising dynamics of their relationship during a pivotal moment in their careers.giang

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers divulged Friday that he initially declined a phone call from wide receiver Davante Adams late Monday night before realizing the Jets had traded for his former Green Bay Packers teammate.

According to ESPN’s Rich CImini and Paul Gutierrez, Rodgers said he received a call from Adams about an hour after the Jets suffered a 23-20 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers declined the call amid his frustration over the loss, but he answered when Adams called again at about 1 a.m. ET early Tuesday morning.

While Adams called to inform Rodgers that he had been traded to the Jets from the Las Vegas Raiders, Adams noted that he didn’t break the news to him at first, saying: “We actually talked about the game for a good amount of time before I said anything about being on the way.”

Rodgers admitted that he got a bit worried when Adams eventually told him he was about to board a red-eye flight out of Vegas: “[Adams] said he was getting on a plane, and I just kind of—my heart dropped. I was like, ‘To where?'”

Adams then calmed Rodgers’ fears by telling him about the trade, and he noted that it “put [Rodgers] in a much better mood” after the loss.

Per Cimini and Gutierrez, several other teams had expressed interest in trading for Adams, including the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, so the Jets had some competition.

Ultimately, New York won the sweepstakes by agreeing to take on Adams’ entire contract and sending the Raiders a conditional third-round pick.

For Adams’ first eight seasons in the NFL, Rodgers was his quarterback, and they clearly built a strong connection during their time playing together.

Five of Adams’ six career Pro Bowl nods and two of his three First Team All-Pro selections came with Rodgers as his quarterback. That included 2020 when Adams scored a career-high 18 touchdowns and 2021 when he set career highs with 12 receptions for 1,553 yards.

Rodgers was named the NFL MVP in each of those two seasons, and while he is off to an uneven start this season, Adams’ arrival gives him arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL, as Adams will join Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard.

At 2-4, the Rodgers have a hill to climb in order to get back in the mix and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2010, and it starts with a road game against the Steelers on Sunday night.