After engineering a trade to the Raiders in 2022, Davante Adams‘ relationship with the team deteriorated after the benching of Derek Carr, eventually leading to Adams’ trade request and departure to the Jets.
His frustration stemmed from the Raiders’ lack of a long-term plan at quarterback after moving on from Carr, Adams’ college teammate at Fresno State, in favor of Jarrett Stidham during the 2022 season. Las Vegas released Carr and let Stidham walk in free agency during the offseason in favor of an expensive and injured Jimmy Garoppolo, despite interest from then-leadership duo of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler in trading up for Bryce Young.
Adams expressed some doubt about the decision to sign Garoppolo, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini and Paul Gutierrez, the first sign of his discontent. He played through three starting quarterback changes and the midseason firing of McDaniels to record his fourth 1,000-yard season in a row in 2023 and endorsed interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the Raiders’ full-time gig. Adams then wanted to upgrade to a younger quarterback with a higher ceiling during the offseason, but was frustrated once again when new general manager Tom Telesco signed Gardner Minshew instead. With seemingly no long-term vision for the team’s most important position, the 31-year-old Adams sought greener pastures and officially requested a trade from the Raiders.
- The Raiders were aware of their star receiver’s frustration, but they were still shocked by the timing of the trade. The team believed that Adams’ hamstring was healthy enough to play in Week 5, but rather than declare himself ready to play, Adams told Pierce and Telesco that he wanted a trade.
- Once Adams identified teams he’d rather play for, the Raiders knew the writing was on the wall and prepared for a short- and long-term future without the All-Pro wideout. It was clear that Adams’ hamstring injury would keep him on the sidelines until he was in a new uniform, so Las Vegas considered him as good as gone before trade talks even picked up.
- Pierce said that there was “nothing to talk about” in regards to Adams’ sideline rants aired in Netflix’s “Receiver” documentary series, but his receiver’s profanity-laden outbursts drew plenty of attention around the league, especially since Adams allowed his comments to air. Adams had to be talked out of permitting even more critical vents about the team, indicating that his displeasure behind the scenes was even greater than what was showed publicly.
- Talks between the Jets and Raiders commenced at the beginning of September, with negotiations gaining steam ahead of the Jets’ visit to London in Week 5. With Adams zeroed in on a reunion with Aaron Rodgers, his eventual arrival in New York was only a matter of time.
- Raiders owner Mark Davis had previously expressed the desire to pair Adams with the franchise’s next long-term quarterback, but he admitted that the trade was a difficult, but necessary decision. “I’ve grown up in this sport,” said Davis, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “There is the business side of the building and the football side of the building. The football side is tough love, man.”