Despite not making the postseason, the Las Vegas Raiders have some excellent foundational pieces on both sides of the ball. Davante Adams on offense and Maxx Crosby on defense, in particular, have truly cemented themselves as leaders of this franchise.
Adams, of course, came over in a trade from the Green Bay Packers two years ago and has been outstanding since the moment he was acquired. The Raiders’ lack of team success has led to some speculation that he might be unhappy, but that isn’t the case, and Adams loves what the Raiders are building culture-wise.
In the latest episode of The Rush podcast with Maxx Crosby, Adams spoke on this saying that the Raiders organization as a whole is far more competitive than the Packers were, via Mike Moraitis of Sporting News:
“I don’t have any expectations (for 2024) but I do have a standard that we’ve got to live up to, regardless,” Adams said. “We set that, so we control that with whoever comes through this building, all the people that are there.
“One thing I’ll say about the Raiders is that the moment I stepped through this building, it was way more competitive than we were in Green Bay,” he added. “In Green Bay, we had great teams and we found a way to win, but when you talk about the competitive nature, there’s a lot more guys (in Las Vegas) that kind of had the same mentality as Jaire (Alexander) had.”
Adams would go on to tell a story about beating Alexander in one-on-one drills during a practice and how the corner would immediately watch a film about what happened and come to Adams to ask what he could have done differently. That fire and desire to be better at every turn permeate the Raiders locker room, which Adams loves.
If everyone is constantly pushing each other, then everyone gets better, and the team as a whole improves. Adams clearly believes in this organization, and the pieces are in place for the Raiders to take a leap in 2024.
Raiders add wide receiver Michael Gallup in free agency
Davante Adams will have some new faces in the wide receiver room as well with the Raiders signing former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup to a one-year deal.
Gallup had shown some promise earlier in his career but struggled with injuries, including a torn ACL in 2021. He has been working to return to form ever since, and perhaps the Raiders will give him the opportunity to do so.
