Jets' Aaron Rodgers names best wide receiver in NFL

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have unofficially engaged in some recruitment during a recent interview. 

Per Tzvi Machlin of The Spun, Rodgers named Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders as "the best receiver in the league" while speaking with Adam Schein of SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio. 

Of course, Adams and Rodgers were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 2014 through the 2021 season until Green Bay traded the All-Pro receiver to the Raiders in March 2022. 

"...And it's not necessarily that close," Rodgers said about ranking receivers. "There's a couple of guys in that stratosphere but (Adams is) the best." 

Interestingly, Adams recently noted that he was proud to earn All-Pro honors during his first campaign with the Raiders because doing so proved "a quarterback doesn't make me" and that "he didn't need Aaron Rodgers." Interestingly, though, Adams added during that chat with Mirin Fader of The Ringer that he and the Raiders' front office "don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now." 

Some linked Adams with the Jets shortly after The Ringer article went public, but both he and Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels downplayed any potential controversy sparked by the 30-year-old's previous comments while speaking with reporters on Thursday. For a piece published last week, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote that the Jets "surely don’t have a spot for" Adams due to already possessing a handful of talented players at the position, including 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. 

Rodgers compared Wilson to Adams earlier this month and told Schein he believes the 22-year-old can one day match his former teammate's accomplishments. That's all well and good, but Rodgers also made it known he's more worried about "being respected" than about making friends with New York ahead of his 40th birthday that he'll celebrate in December. 

Florio mentioned the Raiders theoretically could afford to send Adams elsewhere at any point after June 1, such as before the fall trade deadline if a team such as the Jets decides it wants to go all-in on attempting to win Super Bowl LVIII.