A year and a half after rejecting the Packers' contract offers to facilitate a trade to the Raiders, wide receiver Davante Adamsrecentlyadmitted to ESPN that his experience in Las Vegas is "not what I wanted," suggesting the team has lacked a Super Bowl formula.
Shortly after making those comments, Adams voiced his frustration with his lack of involvement in the offense. The perennial All-Pro has 13 catches on 21 targets for 131 receiving yards and no touchdowns over the past three games.
"I'm sure people are thinking, 'They won the game, why is there an issue?' I mean, you see why it's an issue," Adams said, via ESPN. "Y'all should know who I am, know what I'm about at this point ... when you're a player like me, mentally, my benchmark is not wins and losses -- it's greatness. So when I go out there, I expect to be able to have that ability to put that on tape and have an influence on the game. That's my purpose for being here. I'm not here just to hang out; I came here to win and to do it the right way."
Adams, who signed a five-year, $140 million deal with the Raiders in 2022, hasn't requested a move out of town. And he remains committed to working toward a title run with Las Vegas, for now.
"I am happy to be a Raider, 100%," Adams said on the "Rich Eisen Show" on Friday. "This was my choice and this is something that I'm standing by, I want to continue to work at, to make it what it's supposed to be. I'm not happy at every moment with the way things go, but I'm definitely proud to wear this uniform. ... I'm not looking for a new home."
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Adams' Fresno State BFF, quarterback Derek Carr, was a significant reason for why he ended up with the Raiders, and he admitted he was "hurt" when the team released the veteran QB. But even though Carr is now a New Orleans Saint, the wide receiver maintains he is still happy he decided to become a Raider.
"I came here to play with Derek," Adams said. "I can't say I would have been here if he wasn't here. ... No regrets at the end of the day. If we lost every game I wouldn't say I regret my decision because in life you drive yourself crazy if you live that way."
Still, it's clear he wants to have a bigger role in the offense.
"So if it don't look like it's supposed to look, then I'm going to be frustrated if I'm not a part of that plan," Adams said earlier. "Because I have the opportunity to go and change that and make it look like a much better picture out there. And if that doesn't happen, then I'm going to be frustrated. If Jakobi [Meyers] goes out and has a monster game or if the offense is scoring every five plays, like our first drive on the Bills, then it is what it is.
"It's not about me, but I'm one of the bigger pieces as to why this offense is going to go. And if I'm not getting it, then that's obviously not according to plan."
Adams said that his lingering shoulder injury contributed to his lack of involvement during the Raiders' win over his former team, the Green Bay Packers, back in Week 5. But Adams' isn't using his injury to justify being targeted just five times in last week's win over the Patriots.
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels showered Adams with praise when asked about his wideout's comments and his lack of involvement in the offense. But while McDaniels said a lot of nice things about Adams, he didn't say anything about getting his best offensive player the ball more.
"It definitely makes you feel better that other people see it the same way as you, but that don't fix it," Adams said when asked about McDaniels' praise. "You've still got to do something about it as a whole. Not [McDaniels], but as a whole. We've still got to find a way to get it going, but obviously, it makes me feel a little better knowing that I'm not crazy, that people are thinking the same way."
Given his continued frustration, Adams' name will likely remain on any list of players who could be traded by the Oct. 31 deadline despite him voicing happiness to be in Vegas. The Jets, who employ Adams' former teammate Aaron Rodgers and who recently traded wideout Mecole Hardman, could be in the running to land Adams if Las Vegas decides to go in that direction.
