Is Davante Adams leaving Raiders? Exploring star WR’s future after team’s slow start to season
In 2022, amid a breakdown in contract negotiations with the Green Bay Packers, Davante Adams got himself a trade to the Las Vegas Raiders, who were coming off their first-ever playoff appearance since relocating to the Sin City from Oakland. Besides a reunion with his college quarterback Derek Carr, he got a record-breaking contract, and many believed that he was the missing piece for the usually-struggling team.
Instead, the Raiders regressed to 6-11 and missed the playoffs. Carr, in particular, was benched near the end of the season and released afterward. The only bright spot was Adams, who once again led the league in receiving touchdowns.
And now, three games into 2023, the six-time Pro Bowler may want out of the floundering franchise. After an 23-18 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Davante Adams said:
"I don’t want to act like it’s all crazy – it’s Week 3. But I don’t got time to wait around. It’s not a personal thing. I mean, it is a personal thing, but it ain’t just about me.
"It’s not my mentality to try to sit here and take all season to figure it out. Use these early games like this to establish our identity, and we’re not doing things the right way to establish a winning culture early in the season. So, we’ve got to do something to turn that around."
What could Davante Adams' next move be after Raiders' bad 2023 beginning?
Since a 17-16 win at the Denver Broncos, the Las Vegas Raiders entered freefall mode, losing to the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.
One major reason is that new starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has not been playing as well as it was expected of him. He has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five), denying Davante Adams opportunities to showcase his elite skills.
Elsewhere, Jakobi Meyers has proven his worth as a capable WR2, but the rest of the aerial corps has struggled. Hunter Renfrow and tight ends Austin Hooper and Michael Mayer, meanwhile, have yet to find the endzone.
This could force the Raiders to overwork Adams, and for all his athletic and competitive gifts, having no one to share the workload is not an ideal situation. But one of the likeliest trade options, the Dallas Cowboys, already have a very deep WR corps, and he may not like being in the bench for most of the time, especially given his massive contract.
Davante Adams' best bet would be joining teams such as the AFC South's Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans, who could use veteran experience at his position.