As it turns out, the recruitment of Davante Adams started before this decade with a run-in between the All-Pro receiver and Rams head coach Sean McVay at the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Adams, then a member of the Green Bay Packers spoke to McVay briefly as McVay used that moment in his pitch to Adams.

There were rumors Davante Adams preferred to be back on the West Coast when he hit free agency for the first time in his career. His introductory press conference Thursday suggested the Bay Area native is already feeling at home in Southern California.

Davante Adams has long been one of the most physical wide receivers in the NFL, but he couldn’t break free from the tenacious recruitment press of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.