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'Frank, I'm fine': Davante Adams' message to agent after 'hellacious' hits

INDIANAPOLIS -- If the Green Bay Packers had any concerns that the two concussions Davante Adams suffered last season would affect his career, his agent Frank Bauer's meeting with the team at the NFL scouting combine would have been much more complicated than what it was earlier this week.

Instead, Bauer and Packers contract negotiator Russ Ball could toast to the four-year, $58 million extension that Adams signed the final week of the regular season and then get on to other business.

Bauer told ESPN on Thursday that Adams was cleared by multiple neurologists before the deal was completed Dec. 29. Adams was inactive for the final two regular-season games after Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis knocked him out of the Week 15 game at Carolina. That came after Adams was concussed on a hit by Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan in September that sent Adams to the hospital.

"He called me after the first one and said, 'Frank, I'm fine,'" Bauer said. "There's no long-term concern. I've talked to Davante quite a bit, and we've had everything checked out."

Davis and Trevathan each served one-game suspensions for their hits, prompting Adams to say the NFL has "to do something about" the illegal hits.

"He took two hellacious hits," Bauer said. "Hellacious. And he responded so fast to both."

Adams also suffered a concussion during the 2016 season but returned without missing a game.

Bauer said Adams could have played in at least one of the final two regular-season games.

"He wanted to play at the end of the season, but they wanted to protect him," Bauer said. "That was really good for the long term. Green Bay is a classy organization that takes care of their athletes. They protected the kid, and that was great."

Said Adams the day after the season: "I'm 100 percent fine. It's not anything [I'm concerned with]. It happened twice in a year. It's more mental and upset that I couldn't play in the game to be there for my teammates. But definitely not worried about my health long term."

Despite missing the final two games, Adams tied for second in the NFL with 10 touchdown catches and led the Packers in catches (74) and yards (885).

Adams' contract extension made him the league's fourth-highest paid receiver based on his $14.5 million average per year.

Bauer's other order of business with the Packers at the combine was tight end Richard Rodgers, who is scheduled to become a free agent. Bauer said the Packers have shown interest in bringing back the 2014 third-round pick but no deal was imminent.