Getty Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders.
It was a quiet offseason for Davante Adams before he decided to do an interview with The Ringer where he said that he hasn’t seen “eye-to-eye” with the Las Vegas Raiders on the direction of the team. This led to speculation that he was unhappy with the team and that he could possibly get traded. He has come out and done some damage control but people still weren’t buying it.
Adams has come out again and made it clear that he is happy with his coach and front office. He also wanted it to be known that he’s a fan of new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I’ve never been encouraged to speak up and share my feelings with the organization the way I have with these two guys,” Adams said during his May 25 media availability. “And, obviously, sometimes things get said and taken out of context, but it’s never my intention to bring any type of negative attention or throw off the focus of the team or whatever, which did not happen, by the way. We got a lot of guys in here that know me well by this point and know my intentions and know I just want to win.
“The thing is with me — and I’m unapologetically me — at the end of the day, I truly do not care what people have to say. So, when I’m clearing things up and talking about this stuff, a lot of times it’s just me protecting other people that were involved. Like, I don’t ever want Jimmy [Garoppolo] to feel a way or think that I didn’t want him here or I don’t like him. Or I post a picture with Zieg and they’re like, ‘Oh, is it Josh? That must be the real problem.’ So, y’all can do that. If you’re that bored, go play Monopoly or some s***.”
Adams: ‘I’m a Raider’
Adams’ brief Raiders tenure hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far. He came to play with Derek Carr but he’s now with the New Orleans Saints. He also came to make a run at a Super Bowl but the team doesn’t look like a contender right now. Adams is 30 and may only have a few years left as an elite player. He doesn’t want to waste time at this stage of his career but he’s committed to the Raiders.
Though things aren’t perfect, he’s excited to be with the team and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
“At the end of the day, I’m a Raider and I’m excited to be here,” Adams said. “I love my head coach and I love the general manager here and everybody from the top to the bottom. I have no reason to lie. I mean, one thing I don’t do is BS, so I’m not going to make anything up when it comes to that. I’d rather keep my mouth closed if I have negative things to say, but when I say that these are some good men in this place and that I really value the relationship I have with them, I mean that.”
What Would It Take for Adams to Sour on Raiders?
Adams is being a good soldier right now but that doesn’t mean he’s completely content. The Raiders need to prove that they are committed to winning. Many have suggested the team is rebuilding but they have too many good players to be going through a complete rebuild.
If the Raiders win fewer games than the six they won last season, it’s easy to see Adams become more frustrated. He may not want to stick around if it looks like the team is still far away from being a contender. Las Vegas needs to show signs of improvement in 2023 or things could start to get dicey.