Davante Adams joining Las Vegas Raiders was 'meant to be'
Though it feels like a dream to him, Davante Adams is ready for the challenge of the AFC West.
- Davante Adams said, "it is a dream to be a Raider."
- The wide receiver reunites with former college QB Derek Carr
- Adams acknowledged the challenge facing him as part of a revamped AFC West
New Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels proclaimed at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine he viewed the entire calendar year as a chance to get better.
“It's not just small windows in March or April,” McDaniels said on March 2. “There's opportunities in pro, free agency. There's opportunities in the draft. There's opportunities after the draft, players that didn't get drafted. There's opportunities that are going to present themselves later on in the spring, the summer, all the way through the course of the season and the trade deadline.”
Yet 20 days later, the Raiders had an introductory press conference to introduce arguably their biggest move of the offseason.
Perhaps Davante Adams to the Raiders was fate.
Adams grew up a Raiders fan. He wore Tim Brown and Charles Woodson jerseys while in elementary school. His whole family were Raiders fans growing up.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Adams appropriately wore all black during his more than 20 minute introduction Tuesday.
INEVITABLE: Davante Adams' move to Las Vegas, reuniting him with Derek Carr, isn't a surprise
“I grew up in East Palo Alto, so I was a Raiders fan my whole life. It is a dream to be a Raider,” Adams said. “In the third-grade yearbook I said I wanted to be an NFL or NBA star and I was wearing a Charles Woodson jersey at the time. It’s been documented forever, so I guess you can say it was meant to be.”
The Raiders shipped 2022 first- and second-round picks to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Adams. Las Vegas proceeded to make him the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history by signing him to a five-year, $141.25 million contract.
Money talks, but Adams reiterated that playing close to home and family heavily influenced his decision to play for the Raiders.
“I have a lot of family in California that’s never seen me play before,” Adams said. “Being in Las Vegas obviously gives them a much better opportunity.”
It also helps that he’s good friends with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Adams and Carr, who were record-setting college teammates at Fresno State, text multiple times a week. The two began floating the idea about playing together when the Raiders and Packers were eliminated from the playoffs.
“Welcome home,” Carr posted on social media following the blockbuster trade.
Adams is a headliner in what’s been an invasion of talent in the AFC West this offseason.
The division now features: quarterback Russell Wilson and defensive end Randy Gregory with the Denver Broncos; safety Justin Reid and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with the Kansas City Chiefs; and offensive linebacker Khalil Mack and cornerback J.C. Jackson on the Los Angeles Chargers. Adams and Chandler Jones bolster the Raiders.
And the addition of Adams might be the biggest acquisition of them all.
“This is the best division in football right now. It’ll be hard not to say that,” Adams said. “It’s loaded. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m always looking forward to a challenge.”
Follow Paste BN Sports+ NFL Insider Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.