Watch: Bakhtiari Gives Adams Madden 99 Club Gold Cleats

GREEN BAY, Wis. – All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari crashed a Davante Aadams interview to deliver a splashy present.

A pair Madden 99 Club gold Jordan cleats.

“Goodness gracious. That was worth it,” a beaming Adams said of the interruption.

Adams was given a 99 ranking in the iconic video game. As the EA Sports Web site explains, the “99 Club is a prestigious fraternity, reserved only for the most elite players in the NFL” and the highest ranking in the game. It’s an honor befitting Adams, who is coming off one of the great seasons in NFL history. He led the league in receptions per game, yards per game and touchdowns per game. In 16 total games, he scored 20 touchdowns.

From its listing of the 99 Club, EA said:

He might not have the blazing Speed a lot of Madden NFL gamers swoon over, but Adams sports a lethal combination of Catch and Route Running ratings. There are some WRs in the game that better specialize in deeper routes, but Adams’ unique blend of ratings make him the premiere target in the game. He also comes equipped with a best-in-game 99 Release rating, ensuring that he will routinely break away from defenders to get open.

In the video, Adams thanked EA Sports for the present.

“David Bakhtiari should have been in the ‘99 Club,’ as well, so you might want to analyze that and see if we can make some changes,” Adams said. “I see this man every single day, so it’s not about you, it’s about me.”

Adams is off to his usual superb start to training camp but is navigating some stormy seas contractually. Adams is arguably the best receiver in the NFL and wants to be paid as such. The Packers, however, haven’t met his demands and have enormous cap challenges even without Adams on 2022 roster, leading to the possibility this will be Adams’ final season with the team.

“I wish that thing was like the NBA, where you get a max contract if you’re that type of guy, and it’s simple,” Adams said. “But apparently it’s not as simple as what it should be. And now we’re in a pretty tough spot. But the way I’ve always been able to have success is just locking in on the moment and now it’s time to play football. I’m not really concerned with too much else, and you know we’ve had since February, January really to figure this whole thing out. Here we are approaching August, and with not a whole lot of progress as far as both sides feeling good about how the other feels.”