Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
With Derek Carr getting benched, one of the biggest concerns for the Las Vegas Raiders was how Davante Adams might react. He’s close friends with the quarterback and the wide receiver is likely not on the team right now if Carr wasn’t there. Adams has proven how valuable he is to the team in his first season and is already the owner of the record for most receiving yards in a single season in franchise history.
Adams has repeatedly talked about how he was a fan of the Raiders growing up and that playing for them is a “dream.” There’s been chatter about how the wide receiver might not be as thrilled to play for the team now that Carr is almost certainly on his way out once the season ends. However, that doesn’t appear to be true. Adams was bluntly asked if he wants to be with the Raiders next season. He made it clear that he’s not going anywhere.
“Yeah, absolutely, I wouldn’t have been here or ended up here, originally, probably if Derek wasn’t here,” Adams said Wednesday. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be here in the event that he’s not here. That’s my boy. Obviously, I’ve got his back through anything. I think I’ve made that more than clear at this point. I support him and I support everything that he has moving forward as well.
“But my dream was to play for this team before he was a Raider, and at this point I want to try to make this thing work and continue on doing what I’m doing here, myself get better and see the team grow and get better as well.”
I have reported MULTIPLE times that inside the building, the Raiders believe if they get Davante Adams a proven QB that he would want to stay. Just asked him, here’s his answer
Adams Wants to Be Kept in the Loop on QB Chase
Adams’ dream of reuniting with Carr and putting up huge numbers on his childhood team won’t ever come to fruition. If he really wanted to, he could force his way to whichever team Carr ends up with, but that’s highly unlikely. Adams is a Raider for now and will have to play with the quarterback they choose to go with next season.
The wide receiver is on a Hall of Fame trajectory but getting stuck with the wrong quarterback could derail that. He made it clear that he plans to be involved in the quarterback search this offseason.
“Me, Josh, Ziggs, we’ve all got a really good dynamic and it’s something that I really appreciate, and I’ve mentioned it to them as well,” Adams said. “They don’t have to do anything – I’m not a part of the front office – but they know the reason why I came here. And a step like this is something that means a lot to me and my personal career and what I’m trying to chase as far as the ultimate pursuit, to get that ring.
“We’ve got a good understanding for one another and that helps this whole process.”
Could Raiders Want to Trade Adams?
While it sounds like Adams won’t force a trade, is it possible the Raiders might prefer to deal him? The team has massive needs on the defensive side of the ball and moving on from the wide receiver’s $140 million contract could help solve that. However, it’s not going to happen.
Trading Adams would leave the Raiders with a $31.4 million dead cap hit next season. He’s still playing like one of the best players in the NFL and whoever the next quarterback is going to be will want to have him around. A player like Adams can certainly help hide poor quarterback play. It’s possible he won’t be with the team for the full five years of his contract but he’ll almost certainly be back next season.