Davante Adams has always been an anti-diva. His Contract dispute with Green Bay Packers relatively quiet and he rarely speaks negatively about his former franchise company. Adams’ reunion with his college quarterback Derek Carr ended in a bucket of flour. While speculation about Carr’s future and the Raiders’ prospects for a midfield spot in 2023 began almost immediately, it took more than a week for Adams’ to settle his own plans.
He has a $140 million deal to keep him happy, but less than half of it is guaranteed and the exorbitant two years remaining on his contract don’t last until 2025 and 2026. On the field, however, Adams will have to endure the type of defeat he is not familiar with before this season. Adams answered questions about his condition.
Does Adams want to continue being a Raider?
“Yes, sure, I wouldn’t have been here in the first place or would have ended up here, perhaps if Derek hadn’t been here,” Adams explained during his weekly press conference. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean I wouldn’t be here in case he wasn’t here. That’s my Boy. Obviously I supported him in anything. I think I made that more clear at this point. I support him and I also support everything that he has in the future. But my dream was to play for this team before he was a Striker, and at this point, I want to try to make this work and keep doing what I’m doing here, myself. I get better and see the team grow and get better as well.”
Those are some quality spins. I understand he wanted to say the right thing, but surrendering to a bad organization didn’t earn him any Hall of Fame points. Make no mistake, Adams is a Hall of Fame talent, but his résumé wouldn’t be complete if he slept on winning mid-30s without a full-back.
This season, Adams hit 95 balls for a franchise record of 1,443 yards, but the proverbial fallen tree in the woods was drowned out by the TV series Carr and Josh McDaniels by Kliff Kingsbury and Jeff Saturday train.
Loyalty is laudable, but it’s a one-way street that some athletes never seem to absorb. It suits Adams, who was a gentle handpick from high school in Palo Alto, Adams grew up being a Raiders fan, but we have to save him from ourselves.
Instead of asking who will be the Raiders’ next starting midfielder, we need to settle on who will be Adams’ full-back next season. Is he really gearing up for the Zach Wilsons class who will line up to win the Raiders starting gig?
Who will be the next QB of Raid?
There are many available midfielders that will be discussed as alternatives to Carr. Jarrett Stidham is a parabolic arc of the potential to soon return to its downward slope. Jimmy Wood is constantly springing up on the crosswalk as the contemporary Mendoza Line for midfielders. Perhaps Adams was content to catch endless dribbles from Gardner Minshew while underling Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the same department.
It’s possible Adams will be pleased to see those two VIPs walk the red carpet in front of the Raiders in the near future, but that’s going to get old quickly. We’ve seen what he can do with Aaron Rodgers on par with him. In three campaigns, Adams overcame 1,300 yards and in his final move reached 1,500 yards. Unfortunately, Super Bowl glory eluded him.
A messy midfield situation is rendered Odell Beckham Jr. a peripheral ornament on the payroll of the Cleveland Browns. Josh Jacobs is enjoying the game and will likely head for fresher pastures after the off-season. The Raven can legitimately use the #1 receiver to reassure Lamar Jackson. Anyone in doubt can watch what Tyreek Hill did to shares of Tua Tagovailoa in Miami or Justin Jefferson to Kirk Cousins for the possible impact on their overall trajectory. Jackson is twice the quarterback of both. Trevor Lawrence is emerging in Jacksonville, which overpaid for Christian Kirk during the off-season.
The possibilities are endless for Adams if he hooks up with a genuine franchise midfielder. Otherwise, he could end up in his twilight years as a Julio Jones-type figure who clings to rivals like Tennessee and Tampa Bay in pursuit of conformity. Unless Aaron Rodgers, Brady or some disgruntled quarterback wanders to Vegas on an adventure and accidentally makes the list, the next few years will be very uncomfortable for Adams.
