What Davante Adams Frustrations mean for the Raiders moving forward
Early Tuesday morning an article by The Ringer's Mirin Fader dropped that highlighted the life and career of Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. The article touched on many things that he's accomplished and where his career sits right now as he chases a Super Bowl Championship to add to his illustrious accomplishments.
Most notable in the article was a small section talking about where things are at right now after the Raiders moved on from best friend Derek Carr and the direction things are going in. “[The front office] think this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent,” he says. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.”
Adams noted “I don’t have enough time for that,” when touching on whether the Raiders were in an overhaul rebuild and also noted “We got to figure out the big picture.”
Davante talked about how he hasn't had much time to spend with Garoppolo, but from the little he has, he seems like a cool dude. He goes on to express that teammates of Garoppolo's, people he personally knows and trusts, have vouched for him as a leader and had plenty of good things to say in that regard.
One thing I've always liked about Davante ever since he came to Las Vegas was his willingness to speak his mind. So many times us as fans want total transparency and don't want players and coaches giving us the packaged, PR response. We've been conditioned to think that when that happens, something must be wrong.
So if that's the case, what does that mean for the Raiders organization moving forward?
What's Next for Raiders star WR Davante Adams?
Before we jump to any rash conclusions, Davante made it perfectly clear that he is still completely all in for this team and this franchise. “I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible,” he says. “It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now."
"My goal is to win a Super Bowl with this team. And that’s why I didn’t come here to just be cute with Derek,” he says. “It is to really try and have a shot and change this organization.”
As a life long Raiders fan, I'm sure Davante wants nothing more than to help right the ship for this franchise on the way to a Super Bowl. The article made reference to the fact that the team has taken his opinion into consideration on a lot of things regarding roster moves. I think that in itself shows they respect and care for the opinions of their star players.
To me, Adams' frustrations stem from feeling like father time is creeping up on him in regards to obtaining his first Lombardi. Also, the fact that the move to bring in Jimmy Garoppolo seemed to be lateral instead of going all in on a top vet or a top rookie that is going to be your guy for the long haul moving forward.
One of the most important things a team can do is help their star players feel respected and happy. That being said, who starts at quarterback Week 1 is not his final decision to make. I do feel like the cornerstone star players they have in place like Adams and Maxx Crosby, believe in the culture and believe in what's being built. That doesn't mean you always have to agree with every decision that is made.
Communication is key in any relationship and I don't think Adams would've put this out there if it wasn't a discussion that was already had with the front office and head coach. It's perfectly fine to disagree with something and also be fully committed to it. The new raiders regime is on a path to change this organization for the better and Davante Adams is walking stride for stride in that goal as well.
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Raider Nation isn't one to be familiar with healthy disagreements though, so people are reading into a lot real quickly. Only one thing changes that narrative though: Winning. Put wins together, compete, and show that the process is working. Thats why, at the end of the day, Davante Adams is going to "be as optimistic as possible,” so he can "really try and have a shot and change this organization.”