The 2023 campaign was Davante Adams’ second season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the lack of success—particularly on the offensive side of the ball—was clearly weighing on him.
Adams voiced his displeasure multiple times throughout the season, which had some wondering if the Raiders could potentially trade him.
The superstar wide receiver is still in Las Vegas and is now preparing for his third year with the club, but he is making it pretty clear that he expects the offense to take a step forward in 2024.
“The frustration comes in midseason when we haven’t made the progress that we need,” Adams said Wednesday, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “At this point, you’re not a very mature or experienced football player if you’re getting frustrated in mandatory minicamp. Obviously, I get frustrated every play if it doesn’t work to a certain degree, but it’s not frustration where you’re losing hope in your teammates or yourself or the potential of what you can do as a team. It’s more like, ‘I’ve got a standard.’ … You’ve got to have realistic expectations at this point, but always keep your standard.”
So, essentially, Adams is going to be patient, but there is only so long he is going to tolerate ineptitude before frustration begins to build.
Should the Raiders Be Worried About Davante Adams?
Adams is under contract through 2026, so the Raiders don’t need to feel any obligation to move him. However, if the offense is struggling and Adams starts to display discontent once again, Las Vegas may need to weigh its options moving forward.
The Raiders still don’t have a definitive answer at quarterback, as they will be rolling with Aidan O’Connell for his first full season in 2024 but don’t seem to have complete confidence in him. They also signed Gardner Minshew in free agency, but Minshew kind of is what he is at this point.
Adams is 31 years old. He did haul in 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns this past season, but there is no doubt he showed some signs of a decline. If it gets to a point where Las Vegas is unable to generate consistent offense and Adams is frustrated, it may need to consider moving him.
Of course, we still have a long way to go before that, so the Raiders will cross that bridge if and when they come to it.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how good we can be,” Adams said. “It’s no secret we’ve got some dangerous weapons on the team as a whole, not to mention the offense. … I guess we’ll see what that potential is.”
Davante Adams doesn’t sound entirely confident, but I guess we’ll see what happens.
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