WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay is well aware of how much of a competitor Davante Adams is, so he's keenly aware of how the veteran wide receiver took the team's cautious approach to his hamstring injury that he re-aggravated in Week 14.
As much as it may have tested Adams' patience, the approach has him slated to return to action Saturday against the Panthers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
"I know it's pissed him off pretty good because of the competitor that he is," said McVay, who also told reporters last week that if Week 18 would've been a playoff game, Adams could've played. "But he's got that look in his eye that I know he's ready to go."
"It feels great (to be back)," Adams said. "I mean, it feels like it's been a year since I've been out there. It's only been less than a month now, but it's exciting. Excited to be back, for sure."
Even 12 years into playing in the NFL, the veteran receiver said managing the first few days of being injured is something he's still learning. But he quickly stopped feeling sorry for himself knowing what was expected of him from his teammates – and they noticed.
"I was just talking about this with 'Q' (safety Quentin Lake) the other day," Adams said Tuesday when asked about the mental challenge of the last couple of weeks. "How to manage the first few days is always like, feeling sorry for yourself. And then you realize, especially me being in a position I'm in, guys are looking at me for leadership and direction still in the midst of me dealing with and battling injuries. So, still gotta be there for them, being strong for the team, being present and just finding a way to still include myself into things and be helpful."
"When he's been off the grass for us as of late with the injury, just watching him handle all of that as a human being but also as a teammate and how he has affected our team in a positive way in all those phases is really cool and unique," Stafford said. "It just goes to show you what kind of person he is and what kind of player he is."
Now healthy again – Adams was estimated as a full participant Tuesday – Adams can resume being a key piece to a 2025 Rams offense, especially in the red zone. Despite missing the final three weeks of the regular season, he still finished as the league leader in receiving touchdowns with 14.
Head coach Sean McVay pointed out how Adams' impact on the offense has extended beyond traditional stats, noting the yardage he's gained just off pass interference penalties drawn alone.
"I had high expectations for him, but I think what I've been so impressed with is how automatic (he is), his game day demeanor and just his everyday approach," McVay said. "I had high expectations just because the way that I had admired his body of work from afar, but he's even better than I thought. More importantly, he's even better as a person. I've really loved to be able to get to know him."
This trip to the playoffs marks four years since Adams' last postseason appearance in his career. While it makes him more grateful to be playing meaningful football at this point in the season, he also noted that he played in four NFC championships during his eight seasons with the Packers.
His standard and mindset is not simply just returning to the postseason.
"I was talking about this with a couple of the guys, like, you have to forgive me if we're not cheesing ear-to-ear after the first win," Adams said. "Obviously we've got to go out there and do everything we've got to do to get that win, and we got to play the right type of ball first off in order to be in that position. But we got bigger goals in mind that to just survive the first round of the playoffs, so I think everybody's going to have that mindset of just being locked in the whole time and staying present and in the moment so we can take care of business this week and then get ready for the next week."
When Adams signed with the Rams this past offseason, he noted that it was a "great team that made a great push" in 2024, and that he was "just here to be another piece to hopefully get (them) over the hump" after last season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Now in position to do so with his regular season contributions playing a big role, he echoed those same sentiments.
"It's just an overall blessing for me," Adams said. "I'm just a piece in this thing and that's what I mentioned to Sean before I got here and all the receivers when I got here. Just letting them know this is not the Davante show in any way, shape or form. This is just me coming here to hopefully help and push this team over edge and get where we ultimately want to be. Sean bringing me here and allowing me to be myself and go out there and put the ball in the end zone and help us win some games, I'm just excited to be back on the field and able to give us more opportunities to do that."
