Davante Adams’ time with the Las Vegas Raiders has come to an end as he has been dealt to the New York Jets and a reunion with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Trade rumors had been surrounding Adams for a long time, but the receiver regularly spoke about his desire to remain with the Raiders. However, things eventually changed.
There was a lot that happened through the offseason and during the season that ultimately led to Adams requesting the trade, but now, in the aftermath, the receiver feels that the Raiders are in a better place overall now that he is out of the building via Nick Shook of NFL.com:
“It’s been a roller coaster, for sure. It’s a weird thing to say that I’m happy, but obviously it was time for a change,” Adams said. “This whole thing transpired a little weird, but at the end of the day, we’re in a better place. I think that the Raiders are in a better place, as well. Everybody can kinda move on.”
Anytime there is drama and rumors surrounding a team, being able to move on tends to be a positive as those dark clouds surrounding the Raiders are lifted. Adams also took the time to clarify things about his desire to leave, making it clear that it wasn’t a case of him giving up on the team but wanting to be able to impact winning, which he felt he couldn’t do with the Raiders:
“Essentially, yeah,” Adams said when asked if he was able to tell the Raiders he wanted to be traded to the Jets. “I mean, that’s where it started. All the fans, everybody who’s associated with the Raiders, they see everything, they see a trade demand, and they just think he wants out, he’s quitting on the team, when it’s more about just being able to feel like I can … I don’t want that helpless feeling of feeling like I’m on the field — not every game’s gonna be a 100-yard game or a 150-, 200-yard game — but I wanna feel like I can impact the game every time I touch the field. So just having the confidence that I’ll be able to make some plays and change the game if need be versus getting out there on the field and feeling like we need too many things to go right in order for me to be successful.”
Now in his 11th NFL season with multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, Adams’s most important goal is to win at the highest level and compete for a Super Bowl, which he has never won. He felt he was nowhere close to that with the Raiders, and his efforts were more or less for naught.
Now with the Jets, he feels he has a chance to really impact winning on a high level. Meanwhile, the Raiders are able to move forward on their quest to return as one of the NFL’s premier franchises.
Antonio Pierce says it’s “business as usual for Raiders following Davante Adams Trade
When it comes to the Raiders, Davante Adams and head coach Antonio Pierce are on the same page. Adams feels both sides can move on, and Pierce is ready to do exactly that.
The Raiders coach said it is “business as usual” for the team following the trade, noting how the team has been playing without Adams for weeks thanks to his hamstring injury. Pierce added that it is impossible to replace a player of Adams’ caliber, but it is next man up for the Raiders, who he feels are not in rebuild mode.
