When contract negotiations between Davante Adams and the Green Bay Packers broke down during the 2022 offseason, Adams was promptly traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a pair of draft picks (a 1st and a 2nd). With Adams on his way, his former college teammate Derek Carr under center, and new head coach Josh McDaniels coming to Las Vegas, the Raiders were instantly thought to be legitimate contender in the AFC West, and Adams was expected to pick up right where he had left off in Green Bay… as one of the most productive pass-catching weapons in the league.
Despite downgrading at quarterback from Aaron Rodgers to Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo to Aidan O'Connell all in the span of two years, Adams has remained one of the most prolific wide receivers in the NFL. In two seasons in Las Vegas, where he's dealt with quarterback uncertainty and the eventual firing of Josh McDaniel, Adams has accounted for 203 receptions, 2,660 yards and 22 touchdowns, including a league-leading 14 in the 2022 season. But even with all of that individual success, Adams is still in search of a Super Bowl title that alluded him in Green Bay, despite three consecutive seasons finishing with at least a share of the best record in the conference.
The Raiders are no closer to postseason success than they were either of the last two years, and that's led some to question how long it will be until Davante Adams wants out. However, Adams continues to say all the right things, giving no indication that he wants to be playing anywhere but Sin City.
“If I wanted to be gone, I'd be gone by now,” Adams said today while speaking with the media at his third annual youth football camp in Las Vegas, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “This is where I want to be.”
Is there a contender in Las Vegas?
Davante Adams' answer to that emboldened question above is “yes,” and that likely has a lot to do with the head coach in place in Las Vegas. Throughout the back half of the 2023 regular season and into this offseason, Adams was one of the many Raiders who vocalized their support of Antonio Pierce's head coaching candidacy. To the delight of those same players who saw what kind of stabilizing presence Pierce was after Josh McDaniels' firing, Antonio Pierce was indeed retained as the full-time head coach by Raiders owner Mark Davis. And now, just a few months later, it's got Davante Adams thinking about contending yet again.
“Adams was one of Antonio Pierce's biggest advocates and is obviously happy he got the full-time HC job, but he also feels better about the overall state and direction of the team than he did at this time last year,” writes Reed. “He's confident the Raiders can compete in 2024.”
There are clearly good vibes in the Raiders locker room, and preserving that was arguably the biggest reason why Antonio Pierce was hired to become the full-time head coach of the Raiders. But Las Vegas still has a quarterback question to address, because I'm not sure that Aidan O'Connell or newly signed Gardner Minshew is the answer anyone in Vegas is looking for. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Raiders leave the NFL Draft with one of the top five or six quarterbacks on the board, but even then, do the Raiders have a roster built to contend right now with a rookie quarterback? Perhaps having a wide receiver as talented as Davante Adams to throw the ball to 8-to-10 times a game alleviates some of that concern.
But the primary concern for Raiders fans is one that they apparently don't need to fret over any longer. Davante Adams is happy to be a Raider.
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