Tafur: Why the Davante Adams-Raiders marriage was wrong from the start

Two and a half years ago, the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams. It was a big day. There might have been balloons. They gave up a first- and second-round pick to get one of the league’s elite receivers, and some in the media were pretty excited about it.

But the Raiders never made the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, and poor decisions and a general lack of success weakened the relationship so much that Adams most likely played his final game for the Silver and Black.

According to a league source, Adams requested a trade on Monday, a day after the Raiders defeated the Cleveland Browns without him. Adams was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but his feelings were apparently hurt when coach Antonio Pierce liked an Instagram post suggesting that Adams might be substituted. Pierce didn’t say whether that was a mistake or not; He is scheduled to address the media at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday. But even if it were an accident, a trade would solve a problem with Pierce that has existed since training camp — and with the organization long before that.

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Raiders’ Adams requests trade and addresses situation with Antonio Pierce

See, Adams and the Raiders never saw eye to eye. This includes two front office regimes and six Starting quarterback in Adams’ 37 games with the franchise.

Adams signed to join the Raiders in part because he grew up a fan of the team in East Palo Alto, California – but mostly because he wanted to play with his good friend and college quarterback at Fresno State, Derek Carr. In addition to trading two premium picks for Adams, general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels also gave Carr a contract extension and signed free-agent pass rusher Chandler Jones to signal they were all in.

But… they weren’t. There were holes in the roster, and Ziegler and McDaniels were so upset with Carr that they benched him for the final two games of the 2022 season. They ended up tying the franchise leader in passing yards without getting anything in return.

Adams tried to say the right things, but he began to lose patience when McDaniels brought in Jimmy Garoppolo to be the starting quarterback in 2023. Teammates have always loved Garoppolo, but this version — the one that failed a physical exam when he signed him — required him to undergo foot surgery and then no longer be able to deliver accurate passes — that was for the six-time Pro Bowl receiver difficult to bear.

A loss to the Detroit Lions the day before Halloween was the final straw: for Adams, who slammed his helmet on the turf during the game, and, as it turned out, for owner Mark Davis, the closest Tag fired Ziegler and McDaniels. Pierce, previously the linebackers coach, was promoted to interim head coach and immediately replaced Garoppolo in place of rookie Aidan O’Connell.

Adams was followed by a camera crew for the Netflix documentary “Receivers” last season, and his claim on the show that he “cancelled” on the Garoppolo bench angered some in the Raiders building. (He would use the same phrase again after Gardner Minshew II beat out O’Connell for starting quarterback that August.) Adams and his family members also made some verbal attacks on Garoppolo on the show.

Some saw Adams put himself in front of the team at times, and many teammates rolled their eyes when they saw how he appeared on the show. There was a lot of dramatic pouting and “I” instead of “we” talk that didn’t go over well when the show aired this summer just before training camp.

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Adams had spoken of a “fresh roster” as recently as July, but throughout training camp and the preseason, there was a sense that something wasn’t right. Adams left the team during camp for the birth of his first son, and while the team thought it would only be for a few days, Adams was gone for ten days. When he came back, he said he didn’t want to play in the second preseason game. (He hasn’t gotten his uniform dirty in preseason since 2017.)

The next day, Pierce was told of Adams’ preference and he replied, “No, if you’re healthy you’ll play.”

Guess who sustained an injury the next day?

Adams now has a real hamstring injury and was unlikely to play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday anyway. It’s unfortunate that many on social media thought he was making a “business decision” thanks to comments Pierce made after an embarrassing Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The coach openly questioned his players’ performance – a mistake he later admitted. And even though Adams didn’t play well in that game, only receiving four total receptions on nine receptions for 40 yards, Pierce seemed to rely on several defensive players instead (cornerback Jack Jones was on the bench in the first quarter against the Browns).

To be clear, Pierce liking the Instagram post was another mistake. Regardless of his guilt or intent, something like this simply can’t happen. I can’t imagine Andy Reid spending much of his free time on social media.

“It’s always some kind of drama,” Adams said during his weekly paid appearance on the show “Up & Adams.” “But at the end of the day, 17 doesn’t get any of that done.”

3x All Pro WR Davante Adams addresses his HC Antonio Pierce and likes a post that suggests Adams will be traded…

“I haven’t heard from him (Pierce)… I don’t know exactly what it’s about.”@heykayadams @tae15adams @Raiders pic.twitter.com/xMusj9nMFx

– Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 1, 2024

The Raiders were indeed ridiculous Telenovela for two decades, but Adams is no innocent victim. For two years he has spoken regularly about his frustrations and the potential of a reunion with former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and he could soon get his chance if the New York Jets give the Raiders a second- or third-round draft pick Offer a round.

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But you can’t really blame him. The Raiders were 6-11 in 2022 and 8-9 last season. This year, nine wins appears to be a best-case scenario after new general manager Tom Telesco’s measured approach to free agency and some season-ending injuries on defense.

Adams has had enough. And whether they trade him this week or right before the November 5th trade deadline, the same goes for Pierce and the Raiders.

(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)