embracing

• Sarah BarshopJun 10, 2025, 06:12 PM ET

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  Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.

LOS ANGELES — Davante Adams has only been in Los Angeles for one offseason, but the new Rams wide receiver said he feels “rejuvenated” compared to his last few NFL seasons.

Adams, who was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets last season, said signing with the Rams was “exactly what I needed.” Adams signed a two-year deal with the Rams after he was released by the Jets in March.

“I feel like this is what I needed just based off the vibe and the aura of the building,” Adams said. “And everybody’s in a good mood. It’s not like a dark cloud over the building. And I’ve experienced that quite a bit over the last few years. So it’s a glaring difference when you come into a building like this.”

Adams compared the atmosphere in the Rams’ facility to a “college-type camaraderie,” pointing out the crossover he has noticed between position groups. The receiver said he felt like it took him more time to “get integrated into the Jets team than it was getting here,” although he noted that part of that was due to the fact that he was traded during the season.

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When asked what about his experience with the Rams allowed him to feel that rejuvenation, he said: “It’s just about ball. It’s no other BS.

“And [they’ve] got a really good quarterback in here,” Adams said. “Got a really good young team that shows a lot of promise and was obviously really close to being able to have a chance at the whole thing last year. So just knowing how hungry this team is and seeing the work that they’re still putting in after having a year last year just kind of confirms that I’m in the right place.”

In 11 games last with the Jets, Adams had 67 catches, 854 yards and 7 touchdowns. Including his three games in Las Vegas, Adams topped 1,000 yards for the fifth season in a row. Adams joins a revamped Rams receivers room after Los Angeles released Cooper Kupp in March.

Earlier this offseason, Adams said he was heavily recruited by McVay, including texting Adams highlight tapes of his film that the head coach had narrated. Adams said he’s enjoyed getting to know McVay and seeing his process on the practice field.

“You can see why he’s had so much success and why everybody kind of looks at him and looks to him the way that they do in this building,” Adams said. “And before I even got a chance to really get together with a lot of these guys, I’d heard some of the feelings and sentiments from different players about him and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any uniformity toward any individual ever in the past before that.

“And getting to know him now, it just kind of backs it up football-wise and him as a person. So when your leader is that way and it makes it easy to come to work, it just makes the whole thing a lot more fun.”

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