Davante Adams’ future with the Las Vegas Raiders has been a talking point in Sin City ever since the organization opted to bench quarterback Derek Carr late last season. Carr, Adams’ collegiate teammate at Fresno State, was a major selling point for the wideout to come to Las Vegas in the first place.
“I mean, I came here to play with Derek. I can’t say I would have been here if he wasn’t here,” Adams said on Friday while appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Things have steadily gotten murkier on the Adams front in recent months. This offseason, Adams admitted to Mirin Fader of The Ringer that he wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the front office on “what we think is best for us right now.” More recently, Adams voiced frustration over his lack of involvement in the Raiders offense.
“I’m not here just to hang out; I came here to win and to do it the right way,” Adams told reporters after a Week 6 win over the New England Patriots.
Nevertheless, Adams confirmed to Eisen that he is “focused solely on being a Raider” despite the mounds of trade buzz circulating.
“I will say this, I am happy to be a Raider one hundred percent,” Adams said. “This was my choice. This is something that I’m standing by and want to continue to work at to make it what it’s supposed to be. I’m not happy at every moment with the way things go, but I’m definitely proud to wear this uniform.”
Adams, who signed a five-year, $140 million contract with the Raiders in March 2022, hasn’t requested out of Las Vegas. Yet, with the Oct. 31 trade deadline looming, that hasn’t stopped speculation of Adams possibly being on the move.
One of the league’s premier players at his position, Adams’ role as a featured target has been less steady during his second season in Las Vegas. Beyond a two-week span (Weeks 3-4) where he totaled 33 targets, Adams has seen double-digit targets in just one other game this season. In comparison, fellow Raiders wideout Jakobi Meyers has received 10-plus targets in four of his six games.
Despite the questions circulating about Adams’ future, expect Las Vegas to hold onto their star pass-catcher through the deadline. At 3-4, the Raiders are second in the AFC West and remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot. Having Adams on the roster further strengthens those playoff hopes.
Nevertheless, if the latter half of the season continues to play out the way the first half did, Adams’ trade candidacy entering the offseason will hold far more legitimacy.
