The San Francisco 49ers have lost many key players in free agency. They are trying to get younger and cut their spending as they prepare to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in the league.
The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel this offseason, but that does not mean they were content with their receiving corps. Davante Adams revealed that his agent actually talked to the 49ers in free agency. However, he felt like the team lowballed him.
“I was entertaining the Niners,” Adams said, according to The Athletic’s Michael Silver, “but they were like, ‘We’re paying wholesale. We ain’t paying retail.’ I didn’t talk to them, but that’s what my agent told me — like five times, that quote. And I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m not a wholesale-type dude.'”
Adams signed with the Los Angeles Rams on a two-year, $44 million deal. He thought that perhaps the 49ers were valuing him as a declining player. Silver asked Adams if he believes he is still in his prime and deserving of a lucrative deal.
“Well, I think that’s a great question — and I think I can tell you that my prime has been since 2018, and I truly feel like I’m playing equal or better ball,” Adams answered when asked if he was still in his prime.
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“I haven’t lost any speed — which, you know, I didn’t come into the league as a burner, so people weren’t looking to see a 4.2 (40-yard dash) turn into 4.5,” Adams continued. “I was high 4.4s coming in, and I’m running the same speeds now. Whether it’s the GPS, or if I could line up and run a 40 right now, I’d probably run a faster 40 than I ran when I was 21 years old. And obviously, I mean, the proof is in the pudding. I don’t need to tell you what I can still do or not.”
Adams had over 1,000 yards last season, despite getting traded to the dysfunctional New York Jets in the middle of the year. He has posted over 1,000 yards every season since 2020. He has led the league in touchdowns twice since then. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro.
He is right to believe he should be paid like an elite receiver, but the reality is that the 49ers were never going to be able to pay him like that.
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