Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
Davante Adams isn’t exactly thrilled with the direction of the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite posting a picture with general manager Dave Ziegler, his recent interview with The Ringer would suggest he has concerns with the franchise. He even bluntly stated that he doesn’t see “eye-to-eye” with the front office on the moves they’ve made.
One of the moves he likely didn’t agree with was how the team decided to address their quarterback position. He was already upset about his good friend Derek Carr getting released but the idea of the Raiders trading for a big name like Aaron Rodgers or signing a legend like Tom Brady should have kept him intrigued. Rodgers and Adams formed one of the most dynamic duos in the NFL while they were both still with the Green Bay Packers.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback was traded to the New York Jets this offseason but Adams would’ve preferred for him to come to Las Vegas. The wide receiver admitted to The Ringer that he was pushing the Raiders to add Rodgers.
“I would even go as far as trying to make it happen,” Adams said.
Instead, the Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo, who has an extensive injury history and his lack of down-the-field throwing ability limits one of Adams’ best strengths. It’s easy to see why he isn’t thrilled with the direction of the team currently.
Rodgers Was Open to Idea of Going to Raiders
What has to sting Adams, even more, is the fact that Rodgers would’ve been open to the idea of going to the Raiders. During his interview with Pat McAfee when he revealed he wanted to play for the Jets, Rodgers strongly hinted that there was one player that could’ve convinced him to play with him. The player he was referencing was almost certainly Adams.
Rodgers wanted to be a Raider.
Adams and Rodgers are close so they likely spoke about the idea of reuniting in Las Vegas. However, the Raiders never showed interest in making a trade for him. That has to be frustrating for Adams as he won a lot of games with Rodgers throwing him the ball.
Adams Is Happy to Get out From Rodgers’ Shadow
Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and has won four MVPs. He has made a lot of wide receivers look great throughout his career. Adams wants to leave a legacy but to do that, he had to prove to the world that Rodgers wasn’t the reason he was successful. Though his first season with the Raiders didn’t go according to plan, he was still named First-Team All-Pro and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. He was happy to kill the narrative that he needed Rodgers once and for all.
“Now people can’t say that,” Adams said of the narrative that he was only successful because of Rodgers. “That’ll never be the narrative ever again. It proved that I am me. A quarterback doesn’t make me. … I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level.”
“That’s why [last] season meant a lot,” he added. “Even if I went and played like dog sh** next year, they can’t say it. Because now I’ve already proved it throughout the course of a season, played every game, and put together a résumé that says I do not need. … You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn’t need Aaron Rodgers.”