Since the Raiders’ decision to move on from Derek Carr, Davante Adams‘ future with the team has been a talking point. The All-Pro wideout is not seeking a trade, but connections continue to be made to a move sending him elsewhere.
[Offseason In Review: Las Vegas Raiders]
Three years remain on Adams’ deal, although 2024 marks the final season with any guaranteed salary. Vegas’ front office – now led by Tom Telesco, not the regime which acquired Adams via trade – has made it clear the 31-year-old is firmly in the team’s plans moving forward. If the Raiders endure a slow start to the upcoming campaign, however, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe notes Adams is seen by some around the league as a future trade chip ahead of the deadline (subscription required).
After eight seasons in Green Bay (including five consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns), Adams has remained productive during his two years as a Raider. The 2022 campaign produced another Pro Bowl invite along with a third straight All-Pro nod, while last season saw him record 1,100-plus yards for the fifth time in six years. Vegas will have Gardner Minshew in place at quarterback to start the season after the team benched Jimmy Garoppolo last year (a move Adams endorsed and linked his ongoing tenure in the organization to). The Fresno State product has already publicly committed to the Raiders this summer, but he has also confirmed his preference that any hypothetical trade would reunite him with Aaron Rodgers.
As things stand now, however, Adams is set to remain the focal point of the Raiders’ passing attack as head coach Antonio Pierce seeks to oversee development on both sides of the ball. First-round rookie tight end Brock Bowers enters the league with high expectations, but Adams will be counted on to play a central role in any playoff push Vegas makes in 2024. It will be interesting to see if his outlook on his current team changes as the fall progresses, but no thought of a trade exists entering the campaign.
“At the end of the day, the facts are the facts and that is not a fact,” Adams said (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez) about remarks made by DeSean Jackson pointing to him being unhappy with his situation in Vegas. “I’ve probably spoken to [Jackson] maybe three or four times in my life, and I never had a conversation with him [about this], ever. I’ve never spoken to him about anything.
“[I]n terms of me being upset or not being happy in this organization, it’s…