The wide receiver highlights the risks of failing to grasp a team’s competitive cycle.
Davante Adams maintains that he’s happy to be a Raider, which puts him ahead of most who linger in Las Vegas. If he’s truly content there, then good for him.
Still, Adams serves as a prime example of how acquiring and keeping a great player can sometimes be a major misstep.
This isn’t on Adams. He’s been exactly what the Raiders expected when they acquired him two years ago: a consistent, healthy, All-Pro player. But in the NFL, talent acquisition goes beyond just getting talent; it’s also about cost, fit, and timing.
Two years ago, the Raiders traded their first- and second-round picks in the 2022 draft to acquire Adams. As part of the deal, they signed him to a five-year contract extension with top-of-the-market pay ($28 million per year). Adams was worth the investment, but he was already 29. This was the kind of move you make if you’re a Super Bowl contender, and the Raiders were not.
Coming off a 10–7 season, the Raiders had still been outscored by 65 points and had one of the league’s worst defenses. The timing of the deal was poor, and the cost made it even worse. Surrendering their top two draft picks and paying Adams restricted their ability to improve quickly.
Since then, they’ve gone 14–20. Adams is now 31, and the Raiders are starting Gardner Minshew II at quarterback—an ultimate stopgap QB, capable but not a long-term solution. They have a new coach, Antonio Pierce, and a new general manager, Tom Telesco. It’s time to take some cap-hit pain and gather assets, which should include trading Adams. Yet he remains on the roster.
None of this is groundbreaking, but it’s all pretty obvious and has been for some time.
So why can’t the Raiders see it?
While internal dynamics often stay hidden from the public, the visible factors paint a clear picture.
Two years ago, owner Mark Davis did what he often does: he went for a flashy hire. He brought in Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler and gave them full control.
McDaniels, notorious for alienating people, had that reputation since his Denver Broncos tenure and even managed to upset folks in Indianapolis without officially taking the job.
McDaniels believed prioritizing personal relationships would make him a successful coach, and anyone who gave him another chance bought into that idea too.
Adams wanted to join the Raiders to reunite with his college quarterback, Derek Carr, who also wanted Adams. This created an irresistible opportunity for McDaniels to secure a great player and earn the loyalty of his key stars.
The deal was also tempting for Davis, whose father, Al, famously adored star receivers. Mark has taken pride in spending big, evidenced by his high-profile hires like Jon Gruden and Becky Hammon, and he was likely pleased to do the same for Adams.
But McDaniels fell out with Carr, Davis soured on McDaniels, and he spent big to get rid of him.
Pierce and Telesco are now steering the ship. They should treat this as the rebuild it clearly is, and trading Adams for draft picks should be part of that process.
Maybe it will be. But internal politics still matter. Since taking over in 2011, Davis has fired five full-time head coaches. Only Gruden made it to a fourth year, and even he was only forced out by old emails. Davis fired coaches like Dennis Allen and McDaniels mid-season, and dismissed Hue Jackson after one year and interim coach Rich Bisaccia despite a 7–5 record.
Davis’s track record is consistent: he grows disenchanted with people and chases big names, whatever the cost. Telesco was recently fired by the Chargers, and Pierce is inexperienced, with no prior NFL coordinator experience. Regardless of their abilities, given Davis’s history, Pierce and Telesco likely feel a pressure to win now that isn’t warranted by the team’s roster.
Adams is an outstanding player and should have another strong season. But when it ends, he’ll be 32, and it’s hard to see the Raiders being contenders with Adams still performing at a star level. If he stays, his tenure with the Raiders can be summed up as: right player, wrong move, repeated mistakes.
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