Packers WR Davante Adams hopes NFL takes action on 'ugly hits'

GREEN BAY - Cleared from concussion protocol, Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams said he’s “definitely not worried about my health long term” following his third brain injury in 14 months.

Adams missed the final two games this season with a concussion after Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis throttled him with an illegal, blindside block in Week 15. It was the second time this season Adams suffered a concussion following such a hit, the first coming in September when Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan smashed into his helmet at the end of a play.

Adams also received a concussion early in the 2016 season.

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Regardless, Adams presumably did not consider walking away from the game. He signed a four-year, $58 million extension last week, a lucrative second NFL contract that prevents him from becoming a free agent in March.

“I’m 100 percent fine,” Adams said. “It’s not anything. It happened twice in a year. It’s more mental and upset that I couldn’t play in the game to be there for my teammates. But definitely not worried about my health long term.”

Adams has not communicated with Davis beyond a tweeted apology from the Panthers linebacker. Asked if he felt Davis’ apology was sincere, Adams simply said it didn’t matter to him either way.

He admitted frustration after being knocked out of games with two vicious hits in the same season.

“Real, real ugly hits,” Adams said. “This last one, it’s tough because everybody saw how it looked, and I think people overreacted a little bit with some of it, but just taking precaution. You don’t want to be stupid out there with head injuries and things like that. It’s not like I’m falling and hitting my head and getting concussions. It’s people out here doing malicious things to take me off the field. When it happens twice, it kind of gets to you a little bit, and you just want to be a little safe and take precaution and make sure you’re not damaging yourself long term.”

Adams said he doesn’t expect big hits to be removed from the game. He understands defenders have split-second decisions to make on the field, but he believes the NFL should discuss how to make the game safer with brain injuries this offseason. Adams advocated the NFL adopting college football’s method of reviewing hits on the field, and making ejections accordingly.

“Having it in place would definitely help,” Adams said, “but we’ll see how they take care of it.”

Concussion protocol didn’t prevent Adams from making the life-altering decision to sign a mega contract. Adams said one reason he chose to re-sign with the Packers during the season, instead of waiting to test the free-agent market, was his comfortability in Green Bay. He enjoys having Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, naturally, and also sharing the receiver room with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

It’s unclear whether Nelson and Cobb will be his teammates next season. Both are entering the final year of their contracts, and the Packers have a lot of money going to their top three receivers. They could structure Adams’ contract to absorb less cap space in 2018.

Adams said he’s unsure whether both will be with him next season, but he’s hopeful.

“I don’t know what the chances are,” he said. “I don’t know how that works, but I hope my brothers are here with me. I hope that I get to continue, that we all get to continue our success together here in Green Bay. It is a business. We’ll see how everything happens. I can’t tell you the chances and all that. But I hope they are here.

“I feel like with us three, there’s few in the game that can match what we bring to the table. So, it will be great to continue that next year, and hopefully, that’s the way it is.”