Matthew Stafford: Davante Adams ‘fits right in’ with Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams made a change at wide receiver this offseason, cutting ties with Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp and signing three-time All-Pro Davante Adams. As for the latter’s acclimation process, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has nothing but praise.

“He’s been great,” Stafford said of Adams on NFL Network on Wednesday night. “Obviously, [I] played against him in the division [when Stafford was with the Detroit Lions], have been a fan of his from afar on the other sideline for a long time, and what he’s been able to do in the league kind of speaks for itself, but then getting to be around him personally every day, working with him, throwing to him, just seeing the kind of professional that he is, he fits right in.

“That’s the kind of guys since I’ve been here in L.A. we’ve had. I’ve been lucky enough to throw to a bunch of guys that take the game seriously, love going out and competing and trying to find a way to get better. He’s no different, and we’re definitely excited to have him, and I know for me, as a quarterback, I feel lucky for all the guys I’ve been able to throw to, and he’s definitely up there.”

Stafford added that he’s “excited” about where the Rams “left off last year.”

As for where the Rams “left off last year,” they won the NFC West at 10-7 and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC wild-card round, but were later eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. Granted, the Rams’ 28-22 loss was the closest win (six points) the Eagles had en route to winning Super Bowl LIX.

The 32-year-old Adams, a six-time Pro Bowler, split the 2024 season between the Las Vegas Raiders (three games) and New York Jets (11 games); he missed three games due to a hamstring injury. Across the 14 combined games that he played, Adams totaled 85 receptions for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. Adams ranked 30th among wide receivers with a 75.8 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. The veteran receiver has totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in six of the last seven seasons and posted double-digit touchdowns in six of his 11 seasons in the NFL.

How Rams are the only team that has slightly closed the gap on the Eagles

Adams is now paired with young star receiver Puka Nacua, who registered 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns in his 2023 rookie season.

Stafford and the Rams re-worked his contract this offseason, bumping his average annual salary to roughly $46.5 million, which puts him 11th among active quarterbacks. Last season, Stafford totaled 3,762 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 93.7 passer rating, while completing 65.8% of his passes in 16 starts (Stafford was rested in Week 18). He ranked 25th among quarterbacks in overall grade (74.7) and 28th in passing grade (72.4), per PFF. Stafford then totaled 533 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 105.0 passer rating, while completing 63.4% of his passes in the postseason.

The Rams are Adams’ fourth NFL team, with him spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers (2014-21) before getting traded to the Raiders in 2022. He was released by the Jets in March. Meanwhile, Stafford is entering his fifth season with the Rams, with whom he won Super Bowl LVI.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience