Davante Adams

N/A

Tag Type
Person
Slug
davante-adams
Short Name
Davante Adams
Sport ID / Foreign ID
e7d6ae25-bf15-4660-8b37-c37716551de3
Visible in Content Tool
Off
Visible in Programming Tool
Off
Root
NFL
Featured
Off
Auto create Channel for this Tag
Off
Parents
Las Vegas Raiders
Primary Parent
Las Vegas Raiders
Primary Color
#000000
Secondary Color
#c4c8cb

Derek Carr Criticized by Raiders Fans After Davante Adams Struggles in Steelers Loss

Dec 25, 2022
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) calls signals during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) calls signals during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

When six-time All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams forced the Green Bay Packers to trade him to the Las Vegas Raiders over the offseason, there was an expectation that reforming his connection with his college teammate Derek Carr would lead to offensive fireworks.

While the Fresno State alums showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, Adams didn't produce with the same consistency we've grown accustomed to, and he was nearly nonexistent once again as he registered just two catches for 15 yards in the Raiders' 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

Carr had an abysmal showing, throwing for 174 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions on 16-of-30 passing. All three of his picks came in the second half, and his last one came after Pittsburgh took its first lead of the game with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter.

NFL Twitter was not happy with Carr for how he failed to get Adams involved in the offense during the disappointing loss:

https://twitter.com/PoonPiratee/status/1606838628306636800
https://twitter.com/ToKeNasty/status/1606867258084675584

Saturday's outing marks Adams' third straight game without a touchdown and with less than 100 yards, 10 targets or five catches. A player of his caliber should never be such a non-factor for a team that is now on the brink of elimination from playoff contention.

The Raiders (6-9) will need Carr to utilize Adams more if they hope to be successful when they return to action on New Year's Day against the San Francisco 49ers (11-4), who boast one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Packers' Aaron Rodgers Has Even 'Deeper Appreciation' for Davante Adams After Trade

Dec 20, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 04: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 04, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 04: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 04, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers said Monday that his admiration for his former teammate, wideout Davante Adams, has only grown since his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.

"Him and I have stayed really close, and still talk all the time," Rodgers told Serge Ibaka on How Hungry Are You? (9:40 mark). "People think, 'Oh, you must not like Davante, he's on another team.' And I'm like, 'I love him even more!' Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I have an even deeper love and appreciation for him now that he's gone."

In March, the Packers traded Adams to the Raiders for the Nos. 22 and 53 picks in the 2022 NFL draft. Adams promptly signed a five-year, $140 million contract extension with Las Vegas.

Rodgers told Ibaka that he thought his own uncertain future in Green Bay may have played a role in Adams' decision to seek a trade.

"A lot of it was his desire to have a new start, a fresh start," he said. "There was an unknown with my future and how long I was going to be here. And I think he loved playing with me and maybe didn't want to necessarily get locked into a long-term deal here if I wasn't going to be in the long-term plans of the team. Or, in my own mind. But I think ultimately, it was just time. Time for a new challenge for him, new opportunity."

Adams, 29, has fared quite well in his new digs, catching 86 passes for 1,275 yards and 12 touchdowns. The adjustment from Rodgers to Derek Carr hasn't slowed him down.

Rodgers, on the other hand, has had one of his poorer seasons in recent memory, throwing for 2,864 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing just 64.3 percent of his passes.

There's little doubt that the loss of Adams, and a mediocre receiving corps in general, has played a part in the two-time defending MVP's down season. A broken thumb on his throwing hand, which has been an issue since Week 5, has undoubtedly played a part as well.

Offenses don't get better after losing a player of Adams' caliber. But Rodgers seemed genuinely happy to see his former teammate having success in Las Vegas.

Packers 'Perhaps' Didn't Know Identity Before Davante Adams Trade, NFL Exec Says

Dec 1, 2022
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 15: Davante Adams #17 (L) and Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on November 15, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 15: Davante Adams #17 (L) and Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on November 15, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

An NFL executive believes the Green Bay Packers may not have been aware of wide receiver Davante Adams' true impact before trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel executive said the Packers "perhaps didn't realize what their identity was," which was for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball up to Adams when a play was needed on offense.

The exec noted that the decision to trade Adams "did not work," and that Green Bay should have kept its No. 1 wideout for Rodgers' "peace of mind."

Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been shells of their former selves this season, which is why the Packers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL with a 4-8 record.

While Rodgers was NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021, the 18-year veteran has largely looked average this season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,682 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Much of that seemingly has to do with a lack of established weapons. Without Adams in the fold, Rodgers has had to lean on Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at receiver, although most of them have missed significant time due to injury.

That, in turn, has caused Rodgers to hold the ball longer than usual, and it has resulted in him getting sacked 24 times in 12 games.

Adams isn't enjoying much team success either this season, playing for the 4-7 Raiders, but he has continued to be a stud individually with Derek Carr throwing him the ball.

Through 11 games, Adams has made 71 grabs for 999 yards and 10 touchdowns, putting him in the mix to possibly be a first-team All-Pro for the third year in a row.

Adams has finished with double-digit touchdowns three years in a row and six of the past seven seasons, plus he had well over 100 catches in both 2020 and 2021, and a career-high 1,553 yards last season.

It is now blatantly obvious that Adams was the one who made the Green Bay offense go, and it is no coincidence that the Packers now look like a cellar-dwelling team after three straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Raiders' Derek Carr, Davante Adams Trade Advice Entering Fantasy Deadline

Nov 10, 2022
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 06: Davante Adams #17 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs up the field after making a reception in the first quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 06, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 06: Davante Adams #17 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs up the field after making a reception in the first quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 06, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

This isn't how the season was supposed to go for the Las Vegas Raiders.

After all, they are coming off a playoff appearance and added one of the best wide receivers in the league in Davante Adams during the offseason. The expectation was to challenge for the top spot in the AFC West, but they are instead 2-6 and trending in the wrong direction.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported they placed tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow on injured reserve and provided additional context to the setbacks:

Yet trouble for the Raiders on the field could mean opportunity for fantasy football players looking to pounce.

Adams has, at times, been less than his typically stellar self this season. He posted one catch for three yards in a Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints, five catches for 36 yards in a Week 3 loss to the Tennessee Titans and two catches for 12 yards in a Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Perhaps fantasy football managers with Adams on their team have grown frustrated with the roller-coaster ride of a season that seems to change on a weekly basis and could be looking to make a trade.

If that is the case in your league, jump on it.

Adams' resume includes five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections, and he finished the 2021 season with 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns. Few players in the league have a higher ceiling than him, and he has still put up monster numbers on at times.

One of those performances came in the most recent game when he tallied 10 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns on an astounding 17 targets in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He figures to see even more targets with Renfrow and Waller sidelined and could reach the 1,300-yard mark for the fourth time in five years with 658 through eight games.

Fantasy players should be looking for any way possible to buy low on Adams in a trade, but more caution should be used with Carr.

While he surpassed 4,000 passing yards in each of the last four seasons, he has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game just once this year and has two games with fewer than 200 passing yards.

Now, he is losing two of his top targets for at least the next four games, so it is unrealistic to expect a drastic upward tick in production.

This may be the first time since 2017 he fails to reach the 4,000-yard mark through the air, and he isn't a running threat, either. Given the lack of rushing yards and his downturn in the passing game, look elsewhere when seeking quarterback trades.

Subscribe to Davante Adams