"You got your money" - Stephen A. Smith unconvinced Aaron Rodgers was kept in the dark about Davante Adams trade

Aaron Rodgers returned to the Green Bay Packers on a long-term deal, and for just a moment, everything was calm in Green Bay. However, soon after the quarterback's return, wide receiver Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Some had speculated that the quarterback was informed of a possible Davante Adams trade before signing. Others thought it might have come as a surprise. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show via Pro Football Talk, the quarterback said the move was "a little surprising."

Some don't believe his statements, including one NFL analyst. Speaking on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith sided with those who believed the quarterback was informed about the decision to trade Adams. Smith said:

“You got your money. And by the way, you were speaking to Davonte Adams, what do you mean you were shocked that he was gone? I mean, I thought he was talking to Gutekunst more. I thought he was talking to management more. I thought you were part of everything that was going on in Green Bay. Why the hell didn’t you know what they were going to do with Davante Adams?"

He continued, touching on the quarterback's tumultuous holdout one offseason ago:

"Are you sitting there, Aaron Rodgers, and telling us you had no clue what were you doing, getting your cleanse? Your cleanse? And why you would get your cleanse and whatever the hell you were, and suddenly, that's when he was moved? Last time I checked, you got back, but listen. I don’t bring it up by accident."

He went on, continuing to speak about the "cleanse":

"He's the one that sat up there, went through the cleanse and then came back and told everybody about it, given all these gory details that none of us really wanted to hear. Especially while we were eating. But he told us, he most certainly did. And the one thing I remember correctly, he didn't get traded or moved while you were doing the cleanse. It was afterward."

The show host wrapped up his thoughts, wondering why Rodgers wasn't more upset about losing his number one receiver:

"So if you communicate with the franchise, what the hell do you mean you were surprised? And if you were surprised, why ain’t you a bit more upset than you came across? Your number one weapon by a mile, who is considered arguably the best receiver in football, your team let go and you, Aaron Rodgers... seemed utterly unfazed. Why should we be fazed by anything going on with him?”

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams in recent years

Cleveland Browns v Green Bay Packers

Before parting ways earlier this season, Rodgers and the wide receiver had been together for eight years. Adams was drafted in 2014 when the quarterback was 31 years old. The two didn't instantly jive, and it took until the wide receiver's third year in the league to hit his stride with the quarterback.

In his first and second years, the wide receiver was good for just under 500 yards per season. After that, his worst season (2017) saw him earn 885 yards and 10 touchdowns. Conversely, his best season came in 2021, when he accumulated 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Overall, the wide receiver has broken 1,300 yards three times in his career, all coming in the last four seasons. Without Adams, Rodgers now needs to figure out who he can trust with the football. With the Packers also trading away Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the team is in a tough spot at wide receiver. Since then, veteran Sammy Watkins has been the team's only addition to the room.