Rodney Adams training at The Picklr Loveland with goal of becoming a pickleball pro
When a professional athlete calls it quits on their first athletic career, it’s not unusual to see them look for another way to exercise their competitive nature.
That’s how Rodney Adams, a former NFL wide receiver who now lives in Timnath, has found himself with a pickleball paddle in his hand. And just as with football, Adams has once again set his sights on competing at the sport’s top level.
Adams, 30, drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, stepped away from football in 2022. He eventually discovered a passion for pickleball on the courts of The Picklr Loveland earlier this year. That’s where trainer and pickleball pro Eli Steiner, 2024 Pickleball Hall of Fame inductee Kyle Yates, along with The Picklr Loveland owner Leslie Arnold, are guiding Adams on his path to the next level.
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“Wherever Rodney ends up, he’ll get there because he believes in himself,” said Arnold. “We at The Picklr Loveland believe in Rodney and will ensure he has the tools and support needed to get where he is going. Our tagline is ‘Where Pros are Made,’ and we provide training for first-time players as well those aspiring to turn pro.”
Adams has also been working with Yates, the former No. 1 pickleball player in the world and a co-owner of The Picklr franchises on the Front Range. “Rodney knows what it takes to train and compete at the highest level of sports, though pickleball should be a unique challenge for him – which seems only to motivate him even more,” explained Yates. “His determination is contagious; I’m excited to help him achieve his goals in this new sport. To get to where he wants to be, he must be trained by people who can get him there, and we at The Picklr have that experience.”
Adams shared, “I never dreamed when I walked into The Picklr Loveland that I’d then be training with pickleball hall of famer Kyle Yates and he’d be providing the path for me to take my pickleball to the next level!” For Adams, his pursuit – like his “path to the draft” in football – means he is tapping into the same work ethic, intensity, and individual discipline he needed to make the NFL. In fact, he refers to The Picklr Loveland as “the facility,” the same term NFL players apply to their team’s training centers.
A former football teammate – who played pickleball – first brought the sport to Adams’ attention; however, as an NFL player, Adams was contractually prohibited from participating in another sport. Still, he wanted to learn more about the sport. With football behind him, he was ready to tackle a new challenge.
“My main focus is now to compete at the highest level. Pickleball gave me a glint in my eye – the same as I had with football – and I just knew where my next journey was,” explained Adams. “I then reached out for advice on how to turn pro, which led me to The Picklr Loveland.”