It was a day of major changes for the Las Vegas Raiders with the firing of coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. But it could have been an even bigger deal if the Raiders had given in to entreaties from the New York Jets and traded away Davante Adams.
According to multiple reports, in addition to firing McDaniels and Ziegler, the Raiders also took calls on Adams, but decided to keep him in place. In the days before the trade deadline, there was speculation that the Raiders might have to choose between keeping McDaniels and soothing a frustrated Adams.
Take former star receiver Dez Bryant, for example:
Raiders wasn’t a bad team whenever Josh McDaniels got there
What Josh McDaniels doing to the Raiders is exactly what Chip Kelly did to the Eagles
Get Davante Adams outta there or fire McDaniels
My opinion
Choice made.
Still, Adams was a target on Tuesday. Brian Costello of the New York Post wrote on Twitter (X): “Jets tried to land Davante Adams and Mike Evans but ultimately ended up with no deals on deadline day.”
And this from Rich Cimini, the Jets beat writer for ESPN, who sees the team as continuing to pursue Adams: “Overnight shakeup in Las Vegas. You can see where this is going: New regime. Total rebuild. Sell-off of assets for draft capital. Prediction: Davante Adams traded to the #Jets in March, reuniting with Aaron Rodgers.”
Overnight shakeup in Las Vegas. You can see where this is going:
New regime. Total rebuild. Sell-off of assets for draft capital.
Prediction: Davante Adams traded to the #Jets in March, reuniting with Aaron Rodgers.
Did Davante Adams Want Raiders to Fire Josh McDaniels?
Of course, the Jets did not get Davante Adams, who has been clear that he wants to stay with the Raiders even as the organization has been in continued flux. It’s fair to wonder, in fact, how much responsibility Adams may have had in the firing of McDaniels, either directly or indirectly.
While it’s unlikely that Adams directly pushed owner Mark Davis to fire McDaniels, the signals Adams has sent in recent days over his frustration with the team have been obvious.
In the past three weeks, Adams has complained about the Raiders’ lack of offensive execution and noted that he “does not have time” to wait around while other players get up to speed. Last week, he complained about the fact that the Raiders dumped his friend and former collegiate quarterback, Derek Carr, after the season.
Adams pointed out that playing with Carr was one of the prime reasons he wanted to be in Las Vegas. But Carr was let go and replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo, a former McDaniels acolyte when he was the backup quarterback for the Patriots during McDaniels’ time as the New England offensive coordinator.
Frustration Boiled Over on MNF
Then, if there was an everlasting image to glean from the Raiders’ embarrassing showing against Detroit on Monday night, it was the visible anger Davante Adams showed in slamming his helmet after Garoppolo badly overthrew him on what was a wide-open touchdown opportunity.
But then, we knew Adams was unhappy, right? Even after the Raiders beat the Packers back in Week 5, Davante Adams was not happy and seemed to be sending signals to Josh McDaniels. He could sense that, despite two straight wins over the hapless Patriots and Green Bay, the offense was not clicking. He has not developed much of a rapport with Garoppolo this season, and he has spoken in support of rookie Aidan O’Connell.
“I came here to win and to do it the right way,” Adams said. “So, I mean, if it don’t look like it’s supposed to look, then I’m going to be frustrated if I’m not part of that plan. I have the opportunity to go and change that and make it look like a much better picture out there.”
Comments
Davante Adams Speculation High After Raiders Fire Josh McDaniels