Getty Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The hype surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders is the highest it has been in years thanks to the addition of Davante Adams. The superstar wide receiver has been linked to the team over the past year due to his connection to quarterback Derek Carr. What fans didn’t know was that Adams actually has strong ties to the team, as well.
He grew up in East Palo Alto, California, which is less than an hour from Oakland where the Raiders previously played. In his introductory press conference with the team, Adams admitted that he grew up a huge Raiders fan and his family has rooted for the team for years.
“It’s a dream come true,” Adams said of joining the Raiders. “In the third-grade yearbook, I said I wanted to be an NFL star or an NBA star and I was wearing a Charles Woodson jersey at the time. It’s been documented forever so I guess you could say it was meant to be.”
Adams previously showed off the exact picture he described to the Packers media.
#Packers Davante Adams gifting us with a gem via @BillHuberSI question.
This is a picture from Davante’s “third or fourth grade yearbook” where he said his goal was to be an “NBA or NFL star.”
Goal achieved.
Adams became a superstar in Green Bay but NFL players can only play for so long. He now gets to play closer to home for the team he grew up watching.
Meant to be. 🖤
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Adams Speaks on Some Raiders He Grew up Watching
Raiders fans are already as excited as one could be that Adams is joining the team. The fact that he grew up a huge fan of the team will only add to the hype. Some players may try to play up their fandom for their hometown team once they join them but Adams knows his Raiders history. He had a chance to speak on some of his favorite players to watch when he grew up.
“There’s a couple of guys who stopped through here later in their career,” Adams said. “Randy [Moss] and Jerry [Rice], they didn’t necessarily establish themselves in the league while being with the Raiders but those are two guys who I’ve obviously watched … I mean, those are some of the founding fathers for me. It was more than just receivers. It was obviously [Charles Woodson], Tim Brown was a big inspiration, my whole family was Raiders fans so I knew a lot about the history since I was young, too. Just growing up, honestly, all Raiders. Anything Raiders was what I was about.”
.@tae15adams knows his Silver & Black history. 🏴☠️
Adams Reveals Which Raiders Jerseys He Had Growing Up
As Adams noted earlier, he had a Woodson jersey that he wore in his yearbook but that wasn’t the only Raiders jersey he sported. He revealed which jerseys he was wearing in his younger day.
“I had a Tim Brown jersey, C-Wood, those guys I wore until the numbers fell off, but Rich Gannon, everything,” Adams said. “I’m just looking forward to try and leave my footprint as well as I can.”
Adams clearly has a lot of love for the Raiders even though they left California in 2020. Some of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history have worn silver and black. Adams has some big shoes to fill and he’s motivated to make sure that he does.
READ NEXT: Josh Jacobs Recruits Legendary 7-Time Pro Bowl WR to Raiders