The tiers of NFL superstardom are rarely formed by meritocracy; it’s not enough to simply be great. Davante Adams learned that after his breakout 2016 when he posted a 12-touchdown season and a career-high 997 yards, tantalizingly close to the 1,000-yard benchmark.
After an inconsistent rookie campaign and a disappointing, injury-riddled 2015 season, Adams’ enormous 2016 must have been the result of Jordy Nelson’s return and Aaron Rodgers getting other-wordly hot down the stretch. This was a player who, only a year before, felt the scorn of NFL Twitter for his trouble hanging on to passes and inability to create down the field.