The Las Vegas Raiders have proved time and time again that they don’t handle prosperity well. One week after upsetting the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, the Raiders were blown out at home 36-22 by the lowly Carolina Panthers.
The same thing happened last season when the Raiders upset the eventual back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, only to lose their season finale to the Indianapolis Colts.
Each time it proved that the Raiders just aren’t ready to turn the corner. In both instances it was below-average quarterback play that caused the losses. Things got so bad in Sunday’s loss that head coach Antonio Pierce benched starter Gardner Minshew.
In the aftermath of the benching, Pierce mentioned that he was trying to get a spark, and while he would be making some permanent moves, benching Minshew at the moment isn’t one of them.
The quarterback position in Vegas has been an issue since the team parted ways with longtime starter Derek Carr following the 2022 season.
That’s caught the ire of superstar wideout Davante Adams, who’s let his frustration over the position be known in the past.
Back in July, when Minshew and Aidan O’Connell were battling for the starting sport, Adams said he would rather have a 58-year-old tom Brady than his current choices. Adams, who spent the majority of his career catching lasers from prime Aaron Rodgers might be a bit spoiled as well.
“Tom knows how I feel about him, and I would be the first person to play for both Tom and Aaron [Rodgers], so that would be pretty cool. He’s getting older but he still has to be able to throw it better than half these dudes in this league at this point,” Adams told Uncle Shay Shay back in July.
“He’s gonna sit right there in that pocket so you better have a nice, little secure home for him right there.”
Does Davante Adams Want A Trade To Washington Commanders To Play With Jayden Daniels?
Having spent the bulk of his career playing with four-time league MVP and future Hall of Famer in Green Bay, Adams accepted a trade to Vegas to team with the aforementioned Carr who was also his good friend and college teammate at Fresno State.
But, with Carr now in New Orleans the Raiders have yet to find a quality replacement, and Adams spoke of that during an appearance on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams.”
During a segment Adams was asked about the play of Commanders rookie and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels who torched the Cincinnati Bengals for 293 total yards and three touchdowns in the 38-33 win.
“I mean, he, Daniels won the Heisman for a reason,” Adams said. “I mean, he’s a special player. We were hoping that maybe all the teams didn’t think so and he could slip down to the Raiders a little while ago. But he’s out there doing his thing. It’s impressive to watch such a young kid and a lot of expectations coming in. It’s hard to perform like that, especially on a team that’s been struggling for a while. So, really proud of him. It looked like he’s been able to turn it around a little bit.”
The arrival of Daniels has provided some much-needed juice and optimism in a once dormant fan base who felt abused for 24 seasons under former team owner Daniel Snyder.
Raiders Were Hoping Antonio Pierce Connection Might Secure Daniels
As Adams stated, the Raiders’ only hope was that somehow Daniels would slip through the cracks and fall to the Raiders with the 13th pick. The Raiders were hoping to once again team Daniels with the aforementioned Pierce who was defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Arizona State under Herman Edwards.
Pierce was Daniels’ main recruiter and persuaded him to choose the Sun Devils over 25 other schools vying heavily for the talented young signal-caller’s services. With the Raiders unwilling to give up the draft capital it would’ve taken to move to draft him, the Commanders pounced, much to the chagrin of Adams.
Adams hasn’t been afraid to voice his opinion concerning the QB play and could be headed to a place like Washington at the trade deadline. At some point Adams is going to be ask to be moved, and when he does the Commanders should pounce.
