Davante Adams speaks out in support of Packers wide receiver Christian Watson: 'put some respect' on his name

By the time the Green Bay Packers selected Christian Watson in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, Davante Adams was already a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Adams' time in Green Bay was over after eight memorable seasons where he blossomed into one of the top wide receivers in the NFL and Packers history. Watson, meanwhile, was on his way in and looking to forge his own path with a franchise that has produced so many spectacular wide receivers out of the second-round like Adams. In fact, the Packers moved up to select Watson and used one of the picks they acquired in the Adams trade to do so.

In Adams' final two seasons with the Packers he was recognized as an All-Pro, but it wasn't always easy for him early in his career.

He had his struggles just as Watson has. There was criticism of Adams in those first couple of seasons, no doubt, and the same has happened for Watson, who has battled injuries and inconsistency while also flashing glimpses of greatness.

That's likely why, despite them not playing together and a six-year age gap, the 30-year-old Adams publicly has the 24-year-old Watson's back.

As Watson was showing off his immense potential on Thursday in the Packers' 29-22 win over the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, Adams had a message for any of the loud Watson critics.

"Put some respect on Christian name!!!" Adames tweeted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after Watson's third-quarter touchdown catch that capped his best game of the season.

Adams doesn't tweet often. In fact, Thursday's post was only his second in the last eight months.

But Adams' recognition of Watson was certainly warranted.

Watson got the Packers going with a 53-yard reception on Green Bay's first offensive play, setting the tone for the rest of the game. He used his 6-foot-4 height to snatch the pass as two defenders converged on him.

His big catch set up a Jayden Reed touchdown four players later.

Watson wasn't done. He made four more catches across all corners of the field, with the exclamation point his 16-yard TD reception.

This one was also a beauty with Watson catching the pass in stride while being guarded in man coverage. The score put the Packers up 29-15 and provided enough separation in their upset of the NFC North's top team.

Watson broke out a touchdown dance for good measure. It wasn't a backflip like he did when he had a breakout performance as a rookie against the Dallas Cowboys last season.

And it remains to be seen whether the game — he had season highs in catches (five) and yards (94) — will serve as a launching pad for Watson like that Cowboys game did for him in 2022.

But on this day, for a national audience to see, Watson showed off his talents. And that was more than enough to get Adams' stamp of approval.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Davante Adams says Packers receiver Christian Watson deserves respect