GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Davante Adams was headed for the kind of season that would turn him into the one of the most coveted commodities on the free-agent market if the Green Bay Packers were reckless enough to let him get there next offseason.
His return from the Danny Trevathan hit that sent him to the hospital with a concussion to catch two touchdowns in the next game at Dallas should have answered any lingering questions -- if there were some -- about Adams' value.
Then he lost his quarterback.
No one is likely to be more impacted by Aaron Rodgers' broken collarbone than a receiver who’s in a contract year.
Perhaps Adams will turn into Brett Hundley's go-to receiver, but if the early results are indicative of future success, then all of the Packers' pass-catchers should expect to see a decline in their numbers. Adams will just have to hope it doesn't cost him money.
Adams would only go as far as to say "it crosses your mind" when asked if he's thought about how Rodgers' injury could impact his contract negotiations. But in a discussion with ESPN.com about his situation, Adams remained as team-first as ever in his approach.
"I still have a lot of faith in Brett," Adams said.
Then he turned introspective.
"When you want to get into the head of Davante Adams, you're going to know one thing: He's going to control what he can control," Adams said. "That's why I tell you the same thing every week -- I know it sounds robotic -- I can get open and do what I can do for him. The film will show everything no matter if I'm getting targeted or whatever. I try my best not to think about things like that because it can only be negative. Going from the best quarterback in the game to whoever is going to be different."
Adams caught the only touchdown pass Hundley has thrown -- a 14-yarder against the Vikings after Rodgers suffered his injury. But Hundley had trouble getting the ball to Adams or any other receiver in his first start against the Saints. Adams caught just two passes for 12 yards.
Through five games, Adams was on pace for a 74-catch, 912-yard, 13-touchdown season. Those projections have dropped to 68 catches, 802 yards and 11 touchdowns after seven games.
Last year, Adams narrowly missed his first 1,000-yard receiving season, coming up 3 yards short, on 75 catches with 12 touchdowns.
"I'm hoping that it continues, but if it doesn't end up at 1,000 yards with 90 [catches], obviously the film is out there and they see what I've done," Adams said.
He's practically a must-sign for the Packers, considering Jordy Nelson will turn 33 and Randall Cobb 28 before next season and both receivers have just one more year remaining on their contracts. Adams is a good bet to join Cobb in the $10 million (or more) club in terms of average annual salary.
Adams, who was a second-round pick in 2014, will turn 25 on Dec. 24. He said he doesn't believe there have been any talks between the Packers and his agent, Frank Bauer, about a new deal.
"I hope to be back here," Adams said when asked if he expects to return. "I can't tell you what I expect because I can't expect anything. There's a lot of players that go to different teams that are great. I'm still new in this game, so I can't tell you exactly about all of that. I haven't talked to anybody and I'm just keeping my head down and playing."