Two offseasons ago, the Las Vegas Raiders made a huge move, one that not a ton of people saw coming. They traded for Davante Adams, who at the time was undoubtedly the best receiver in the league. He still is that guy, one that can go off for a huge game at any given moment; however, he isn't getting used in the way he should, as he let everyone know recently.
But he came to the Raiders for one reason, and we all know that reason - Derek Carr, who was his college quarterback at Fresno State. The two are best friends and finally got to play together for the first time in nine years. Then, Carr was released by the team, as Josh McDaniels and his staff just didn't feel like Carr was the right fit with the team. That hurt Davante Adams. He talked about it, but not much.
Recently, he opened up about it again, but he kept it real.
"I mean, I came here to play with Derek. I can't say I would have been here if he wasn't here," Adams said on the Rich Eisen Show. "That kind of put the stamp on everything for me. It was a series of things that led to why I ended up being here and playing with my quarterback, who I had a lot of success with in college. That factored in heavily for me, so it definitely took a toll on me when he left, but one part about this game that you and I both know is people come in and out every day.
"It definitely hurt not having him around, but you also, after being in it for so long, you get used to how it goes, and you wish him good luck. And also, it was good for him because he would have to play basically perfectly to win over the fans and keep everybody happy, so it was good for him to get a new start, too."
His opening statement shouldn't surprise anyone. He came to Las Vegas to play with his best friend. Imagine you changed jobs because you were promised to get to work for a certain person you always wanted to work for, and then that person was fired or quit. It would hurt. I'm not mad at Davante Adams for being hurt, upset, or even frustrated.
But it sounds like he has moved on. The NFL is a business, and things like this happen. All of the free agents who are thinking of coming to play for the silver and black may now be thrown off by the way the Raiders operate. I do know one thing, though; if the Raiders do not start to win games and win the way they should be, it could be Adams on a different squad come 2024.
More must-reads: