The Las Vegas Raiders have made their decision on who their starting quarterback will be for the 2024 NFL season. Last week, the team announced that Gardner Minshew had won the competition over second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell. The decision was made despite the fact that, earlier this offseason, All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams had said he “loves” playing with O’Connell.
That being said, Adams also stated that he has a great working relationship with Minshew. There is no reason to think that his winning of the quarterback competition will affect Adams’ level of happiness with the team.
That level of happiness, though, has been called into question multiple times since he arrived.
Las Vegas Raiders Wide Receiver Davante Adams Wanted to Play with Derek Carr
As many fans are well-aware, Adams requested a trade away from the Green Bay Packers because he did not appreciate their contract extension offer to him after they placed the franchise tag on him. To Green Bay’s credit, they were able to land a first and second-round pick from the Raiders in return for the All-Pro wide receiver.
For his part, Adams wanted to play for Las Vegas for two big reasons. First, it is closer to where his family lives. His grandparents were able to come and watch him play a live NFL game in person for the first time following the trade.
Second, he was able to reunite with quarterback Derek Carr, who had been his teammate in college. Earlier this year, Adams revealed that if Carr had not been the quarterback of the Raiders at the time of the trade, he likely would not have come to Las Vegas.
Davante Adams Has Played Well While Las Vegas Raiders Quarterbacks Have Struggled
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The Adams-Carr reunion, as fans know, did not even last a full season. The quarterback was sent home before the 2022 NFL season even ended and then was released when it ended. He now plays for the New Orleans Saints.
Adams, meanwhile, remained in Las Vegas where the team signed Jimmy Garoppolo to be their starting quarterback in 2023. That, too, did not last a full season. In the Netflix documentary Receiver, it was revealed that Adams played a big role in Garoppolo’s benching.
In two seasons with the Raiders, Adams has caught 203 passes for 2,660 yards, and 22 touchdowns. He also played with five different starting quarterbacks. Minshew will be his sixth.
NFL Insider Believes the Las Vegas Raiders Could Move Davante Adams for Financial Reasons at the NFL Trade Deadline
Throughout the course of this offseason, there have been numerous rumors that Adams was going to try and force a trade that would reunite him with his good friend and former Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, on the New York Jets.
These rumors, though, were just that: rumors. Adams has consistently shot down any notion that he was unhappy or wanted to play elsewhere, despite many people (including Hall of Famer Randy Moss) telling him he should.
Even though the All-Pro wide receiver is happy where he is, one NFL analyst believes that it might not matter. Due to Adams’ lack of guaranteed money on his contract after this season, he could be made available at the trade deadline if Las Vegas struggles early in the season.
Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team says of Adams in the video above, “When you look at Davante Adams’ contract, he has no more guaranteed money after this season.” He also points out that the base salaries for Adams’ next two years on his contract are over $35 million, which is more than Justin Jefferson, the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, is making.
In other words, Adams likely will not be back with the Raiders in 2025 anyway unless they restructure his deal, and if they continue to rebuild, they may try to trade him for more draft picks.
