Sean McVay dug deep in his bag of tricks to persuade Davante Adams to sign with Rams

Davante Adams’ arrival in Los Angeles to play for the Rams has roots at the Kentucky Derby.

Several years ago the three-time All-Pro receiver and Rams coach Sean McVay chatted at Churchill Downs, where McVay told Adams how much he admired his work.

“He was just like, ‘Look man, I’ve got a lot of respect for your game,’” Adams said Thursday, “‘and it would be amazing at some point to be able to team up, join forces and figure it out together on the same team.’”

This month when Adams hit free agency for the first time, McVay stepped up the recruiting pitch. He sent Adams a few highlight tapes of the receiver that he personally narrated and communicated with him constantly while Adams was traveling in Japan.

“I thought he was out there too,” Adams quipped during an introductory news conference in Woodland Hills, “just based off, I was talking to him more than I was talking to my wife. He definitely showed a lot of interest.”

Adams, who signed a two-year contract that includes $20 million in guarantees this year, is clearly happy to be back in California, where he attended high school in Palo Alto and played at Fresno State.

Adams, 32, starred for the Green Bay Packers for eight seasons before playing two-plus seasons for the Las Vegas Raiders and 11 games last season for the New York Jets. When they released him, Adams said the possibility of joining the Rams “was already something that was on my radar.”

After speaking with McVay, Rams players and other team personnel, “it was clear that this is where I needed to be,” said Adams, who has 957 receptions for 11,844 yards and 103 touchdowns.

Adams joins a Rams receiving corps that includes third-year pro Puka Nacua and speedster Tutu Atwell, whom the Rams re-signed to a one-year, $10-million contract. The Rams released veteran Cooper Kupp on Wednesday.

Adams said he has long admired Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who also joined the recruiting pitch.

“I don’t know if he was quite as eager as Sean was,” Adams said, “but it was still a good feeling knowing the quarterback wants you to be there too.”

Adams is eager to begin working with a quarterback who ranks among the top 10 in several categories, and a team that advanced to the NFC divisional round last season.

“Being able to be with a contender at this point in my career is something I’ve been waiting for for a while now,” he said. “I’ve been putting the work in to make it happen, but now we got it so it’s exciting.”

Adams will continue to wear No. 17. Nacua announced this week that he was switching to 12 to honor his family and return to the number he wore growing up. Adams said he had not communicated with Nacua about the change.

“For everybody out there that wants to hate me for making them buy new jerseys, I did not tell him, I didn’t pay him, I didn’t do anything,” Adams said, grinning. “That was out of the kindness of his heart and what he wore in college, so I guess it made sense.”

Rams guard Coleman Shelton during his first stint with the Rams in December 2023.

(Terrance Williams / Associated Press)

Offensive lineman Coleman Shelton was not a marquee acquisition for the Rams, but he also could play a vital role in McVay’s offense.

Shelton, a Southern California native, played center and guard for the Rams from 2019 to 2023. Last season he played with the Chicago Bears and worked with rookie Caleb Williams, the former USC star who was the top pick in the draft.

“Very excited to be able to get back to work with Matthew and hit the ground running,” Shelton said. “Caleb, being able to work with him was an awesome opportunity. He’s a great guy, he’s a great competitor and I only see success in his future.”

New defensive tackle Poona Ford played five seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and one with the Buffalo Bills before playing for the Chargers last season. He joins a front that includes lineman Braden Fiske and edge rusher Jared Verse, the NFL defensive rookie of the year.

“They’re young and they’re hungry,” Ford said. “I’m just looking forward to getting to know everybody and building chemistry on and off the field.”