In an offseason full of huge trades, the Las Vegas Raiders’ deal to acquire star receiver Davante Adams might be the biggest of all. Adams has been widely considered the best receiver in the NFL for the past five seasons, and the Raiders now have one of the scariest set of pass-catchers in the league, along with Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.
The move also reunites Adams with his college teammate and close friend Derek Carr. The pair have remained close throughout their time in the league, even from a distance, but the new Raiders receiver admitted that playing together is something the two have talked about.
“It’s something we were definitely looking forward to, potentially, doing down the road,” Adams said in his introductory media conference with the Raiders. “But obviously, me playing in Green Bay, a great situation, having, you know, the greatest quarterback to play the game (in Aaron Rodgers), that’s a dream in itself. So, I’ll never take away anything away from, anything Green Bay gave me, or Aaron gave me.
“It was an amazing opportunity to work over there and do what I did for almost a decade. But, you know, things change sometimes. It’s not the first time that an impactful player to an organization had to leave. I feel like it worked out for both sides, ultimately.”
To Adams’ point, it’s not even the first time this offseason an impactful player has left his organization with the likes of Russell Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, and Matt Ryan all being dealt away. And while it wasn’t their plan from the beginning to make this move happen this offseason, Adams did admit that once it became clear that a move was a possibility, he and Carr being trying to figure things out.
“Once we got to a point where (a potential trade) was something that was realistic now, it was not just a thought, we started trying to put a little bit of a plan together,” Adams added. “I was traded, so it wasn’t strictly on us.
“We didn’t scheme this. We just kind of checked in on each other, footballwise. We check in on each other about family, and the real stuff. But as far as football, and getting together, you’re not being a great teammate to your current organization if that’s all you’re worried about.”
And now Adams is officially donning the silver and black, which is something he always dreamed about. Growing up in Palo Alto and attending Fresno State University, the dream of being a Raider was always on the mind of Adams, and now it is reality.
“It is a dream to be a Raider, man,” Adams said. “It’s a dream come true. In a third-grade yearbook, I said I wanted to be a, you know, an NFL star or an NBA star. And I was wearing a Charles Woodson jersey at the time. So, it’s been documented forever, so I guess you can say it was meant to be.”
