Davante Adams’ flu game, QB opinion, & exceptional leadership shine on Netflix

During the 2023 NFL season, Netflix closely followed Raiders captain Davante Adams, as he was one of five players starring in their eight-episode series titled "Receiver”.

From an entertainment standpoint, this was the most intriguing season to follow the future Hall of Famer, as it included the lowest of lows (toxic culture, minimal targets) and the highest of highs (incredible culture, big catches, 63 points in a game).

I documented his early season frustration, and I fully supported his actions as those of a true and honest leader. (To which I received some criticism from fans for siding with a “prima donna receiver”, which was negativity I hadn’t experienced before in any of my Raiders pieces).

The new Netflix docu-series fully shines a light on just how frustrated Adams was, while simultaneously showing how others in the organization viewed him as their true leader. You could sense that teammates felt he was the one who would carry them from one regime to the next, whenever that would happen, while not missing a beat on Sundays. An incredible pressure Adams must’ve felt, carrying the weight of a demoralized locker room.

He was like the leader of a rebellion, who inspired many during the dark times, keeping hope alive for better days, and who many chose to follow instead of the prior head coach.

Following that miserable Monday night loss in Detroit, the time had finally come, and that regime was fired. Subsequently, starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was benched.

The Netflix crew asked Adams for his reaction on the quarterback change, to which he replied that he had “signed off” on benching Garoppolo and starting rookie Aidan O’Connell, even insinuating his future with the Raiders depended on this decision. The filmmakers quickly learned that Adams didn’t have just an opinion, but even more meaningfully he had a vote in the final decision.

This was pretty transparent stuff being revealed in real time on “Receiver,” during a pivotal point in the season. And not just any season, but the 2023 run which could have a rippling effect on the future of the Raiders organization.

This power wasn’t given to Adams solely because of his greatness, or because of his obvious irritations, but most importantly because of his exceptional leadership. Not just the ‘C’ he wears on his chest, but because he was the guy that everyone looked up to when there was nobody else.

Again, he would be the one many inside those walls believed could seamlessly steer the ship from one regime to the next.

A guy who could’ve just packed it in and enjoyed his big contact, but instead continued to play hard, through injuries, despite being justifiably disgruntled.

His frustration with Garoppolo throwing behind him, overthrowing him, or just completely not seeing Adams wide open, were all apparent. Adams talking to teammates on the sideline explained he had never been hit this much in his entire career, due to errant throws. Despite that, Adams never said a bad thing about the QB publicly or even in the heat of the moment while mic’d up on the sidelines.

While I always thought his captaincy was best exemplified by the things he said, the Netflix show proved that it’s what his teammates and coaches say about him that’s most meaningful. Perhaps my biggest takeaway from “Receiver” was how often others were vocally appreciative towards No.17.

Watching games on TV, we always saw Adams slamming his helmet or shaking his head, frustrated with outcomes after giving 100% effort on the field. But until now, we never really saw or heard what his teammates were saying to him in those moments.

Veteran tight end Austin Hooper is continuously heard encouraging Adams when he was down (during the McDaniels era) and crediting him for pulling everyone to the better days (during the Pierce era). Which as a side note, shows why signing a veteran player like Hooper for a season is beneficial to the locker room. He didn’t play much, but he was feeding Adams things he needed to hear. And it carries more weight coming from a guy with a lot of NFL tenure, like Hooper.

Even hard-nosed running back Josh Jacobs was inspired by Adams playing through a nagging shoulder injury at the Chargers.

Offensive quality control coach for the 2023 Raiders, Mitch Singler, worked closely with Adams on his routes before games, and would genuinely thank Adams for his leadership and effort. Before the final game, in a heartfelt moment, Singler talked about how this could be his and Adams' last time together. Fortunately, it wasn’t, as Singler remained and was promoted to assistant tight ends coach this offseason.

Long-time receivers coach Edgar Bennett vocalized much appreciation for Adams before the final game of the season, and after that win smoked cigars together with the rest of the wide receiver room. A real sense of community between Bennett, Adams and the rest, who came from early offensive frustrations out of their control to becoming major contributors in late-season wins.

Perhaps the most memorable, legacy-defining moment on the “Receiver” series, was Adams ‘flu game’. The Netflix crew caught Adams discussing his flu-like symptoms with the media before the late-season game against division rival Chargers, and again discussing his bug with Raiders staff, before going on to catch eight balls for 101 yards and a touchdown in a historic 63-21 win, which will become folklore to future generations of Raider Nation.

If there was any doubt about Davante Adams being a captain in the locker room and a key stakeholder of an NFL franchise, that was cleared up in this documentary. His vision and the high standard he expects, are both clearly aligned with head coach Antonio Pierce and his fellow leader on the other side of the ball, Maxx Crosby.

The three-headed monster leading this franchise are all on the same page.

Moreso, the 53 players, and the entire coaching staff all being aligned is something that was missed in the prior couple of seasons.

Now with a full offseason of everyone in the organization moving in the same direction, after the prior season of being playoff eligible in Week 17, I feel even more confident that Adams and the Raiders have the expectation of playing postseason football in January.