Getty Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders went from being a popular Super Bowl sleeper team before the 2022 season to a rebuilding team in less than a year. However, they still have plenty of veteran players who aren’t wanting to sit through a rebuild. Wide receiver Davante Adams said in an interview with The Ringer that he hasn’t seen “eye-to-eye” with the front office on everything.
Adams doesn’t speak much so when he does, it has an impact. His comments made the rounds and led to suggestions that he wasn’t happy with the Raiders. After the interview went viral, Adams posted a picture with general manager Dave Ziegler on his Instagram that said “the man.”
Just a few minutes ago.
By posting this, Adams is showing that he’s good with Ziegler. The wide receiver isn’t the type to stir up drama and has been quick to clear the air in the past when he’s had comments blown out of proportion. Adams can not agree with everything Ziegler has done but still have respect for him as a general manager. Fortunately for the Raiders, there doesn’t appear to be serious drama brewing between the front office and the star wide receiver.
Adams Isn’t Going Anywhere
A big reason why Adams came to the Raiders was that he wanted to be closer to his family and he wanted them to see him play live. He was able to accomplish that goal so his move to the team wasn’t a total loss. However, there’s no denying his first year in Las Vegas was wildly disappointing. After winning 13 games in three straight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Adams went to a team that went 6-11 and missed the playoffs.
He’s 30 years old now so he could be nearing the end of his reign as the best wide receiver in the NFL. He doesn’t have time to waste on a rebuild. Regardless, he’s going to have to follow the Raiders’ lead. There’s no realistic way for the team to cut or trade him over the next two seasons without dealing with a major dead cap hit. Adams is aware of this which is why he won’t request a trade. If the Raiders are a mess over the next two seasons, then he’ll likely try to force his way out.
How Raiders Can Keep Adams Happy
The easiest to appease Adams is to start winning games. That’s easier said than done. Even if the Raiders aren’t great in 2023, they need to at least show signs of improvement. The team lost nine games by one score last season so it’s possible that they could get some close games to turn into wins this season.
While Adams says he doesn’t care about stats, he does care about his legacy. If his numbers decline in a big way next season and the team is bad, he’s going to have issues. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL but he’s at least average. He’ll be able to get the ball to Adams at a consistent rate. Numbers shouldn’t be an issue for the wide receiver but the Raiders will need to feature him quite a bit. Las Vegas being a pesky team that wins seven or eight games could be enough to appease Adams if the plan is to go all in for the 2024 season.