Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Born in East Palo Alto, California, Adams attended Palo Alto High School where he played football and basketball. He played two seasons of college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was named a second-team All-American in 2013 before being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Early in his career with the Packers, Adams was low in the wide receiver depth chart behind teammates Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. After being named to his first Pro Bowl in 2017, Adams signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension. For the next four seasons, Adams was the top wide receiver on the team, forming a close bond with quarterback Aaron Rodgers that culminated in leading the league in receiving touchdowns in 2020 and setting career bests in receptions and receiving yards in 2021. During his eight-year tenure with the Packers, Adams only missed 13 games, was named First-team All-Pro two times, and was selected to the Pro Bowl on five occasions.

After contract negotiations between the Packers and Adams failed during the 2022 offseason, the Packers traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first-round and second-round draft pick. Adams then signed a five-year, $141.25 million dollar contract that made him the highest-paid wide receiver at the time. In his first season with the Raiders, Adams led the league in receiving touchdowns and was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl.

Early years
Adams was born to Douglas Adams and Pamela Brown on December 24, 1992.[1] He has a brother and two sisters. From East Palo Alto, California, Adams attended Palo Alto High School in neighboring Palo Alto, California.[2] As a senior two-way starter for the Vikings football team, he led the school to a CIF state championship. He had 64 receptions for 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns, and as a cornerback on defense he totaled 44 tackles, including two for a loss, two forced fumbles, an interception, and four passes defended.[3][4] He also played basketball and was considered a two-star recruit in that sport. Lettering all four years in basketball, he averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists as a senior.[3] He was recruited by Fresno State, California, University of Hawaiʻi, and San Diego State. Adams committed to play college football at Fresno State.[5]

College career
Adams attended California State University, Fresno, where he played on the Fresno State Bulldogs football team from 2011 to 2013.[6]

In 2011, Adams redshirted as a true freshman at Fresno State in his only season with then-head coach Pat Hill.[7]

2012 season
In the 2012 season, Adams had a new head coach in Tim DeRuyter.[8] He became an instant contributor in the Bulldogs’ 9–4 season.[9] In his collegiate debut, he had 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Weber State Wildcats on September 1, 2012.[10] On September 29, against the San Diego State Aztecs, he had eight receptions for 102 yards.[11] On October 6, against the Colorado State Rams, he had the first of eight consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. In the win, he had four receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns.[12] On October 27, a road game against the New Mexico Lobos, he had nine receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns.[13] On November 10, in a road game against the Nevada Wolf Pack, he had nine receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown.[14] In the regular season finale against the Air Force Falcons, he had nine receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns.[15] On Christmas Eve, against the SMU Mustangs, he had 13 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown in the 43–10 loss in the 2012 Hawaii Bowl.[16] Overall, in the 2012 season, he had 102 receptions for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns.[17] All three led the Mountain West Conference.[18] He was the conference’s Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American.[19][20] He was the MVP of the 2012 Hawaii Bowl.[21]

2013 season
Adams continued to be a very productive member of the offense in the Bulldogs’ 11–2 season in 2013.[22] He started the 2013 season with 14 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 52–51 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.[23] On September 20, against the Boise State Broncos, he had 12 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in the 41–40 victory to give the Bulldogs a 3–0 record.[24] On October 5, in a road game against the Idaho Vandals, he had 16 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the 61–14 victory.[25] Two weeks later, against the UNLV Rebels, he had eight receptions for 221 yards and four touchdowns in the 38–14 victory.[26] Adams scored on a 75-yard touchdown to start the game.[27] On November 23, against the New Mexico Lobos, he had nine receptions for 246 yards and four touchdowns in the 69–28 victory to help get the Bulldogs to a 10–0 record.[28] In the following road game against the San Jose State Spartans, he had 13 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns in the 62–52 loss, Fresno State’s first of the season.[29] On December 7, against the Utah State Aggies in the regular season finale, he had nine receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown in the MWC Championship Game. [30] In his final collegiate game, the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl against the USC Trojans, he had nine receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.[31] Overall, in the 2013 season, he led the nation with 131 receptions for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns.[32] He set a Mountain West Conference record with his 24 touchdown receptions, eight more than any player in the country in 2013, and the total ranks fourth in single-season FBS history. He also set Fresno State career records for receptions (233) and touchdown receptions (38) despite playing just two seasons for the Bulldogs. He was named second-team All-America by The Associated Press.[3]

On December 27, 2013, Adams announced that he would forgo his final two college seasons and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.[33]