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Aaron Rodgers Addresses Packers Exit

May 31st, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers‘ Green Bay departure would have been far messier had it occurred in 2021, when he requested to be moved. But the divorce, coming after a prolonged trade negotiation, has still produced a stream of headlines. The new Jets quarterback attempted to set the record straight regarding a few key 2020s Packers plotlines.

Shortly after the Packers traded up for Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers said he no longer knew finishing his career in Green Bay was realistic. Before the 2021 trade request, Rodgers earned his third MVP honor despite the Packers using their first-round pick on a backup quarterback. While the Love choice did not directly impede Green Bay in 2020, the team suffered another narrow NFC championship defeat — at home against Tampa Bay — as its first-round pick did not contribute. That loss began an annual run of Rodgers-driven offseason uncertainty in Green Bay.

“Did I wanna, years down the line, go, ‘Well, what if we had just taken somebody who could impact our team because we had just gone to the NFC championship?’ Yeah, of course,” Rodgers said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman; subscription required) of the Packers’ decision to draft Love. “I don’t think any other competitor would say anything different.

“… We didn’t win the Super Bowl. [The Packers] had their guy in waiting. I knew that [the team going with Love] was always a possibility, that they would wanna go, ‘You know what? We tried hard. We tried to win a championship. We had a good team, but now it might be time to go with Jordan, move some contract stuff around and do that.'”

The organization made that decision two years after Rodgers requested a trade. The Packers could have obtained more for Rodgers in 2021, given his age and MVP form, but they rebuffed trade overtures during that offseason. Rodgers’ agent is believed to have made a blunt request to Packers president Mark Murphy at that time: trade Rodgers or fire GM Brian Gutekunst. The Rodgers-Gutekunst feud simmered throughout the ’21 offseason, and this ultimatum surfaced that summer. Wednesday’s report lends more support to the Rodgers-or-Gutekunst rumors. The 18-year veteran told Schneidman communication between he and Green Bay management improved once he returned to the team, but it still pales in comparison to the talks he has held with Jets management in the weeks since he arrived.

Although Rodgers re-signed with the Packers — on a three-year, $150.8MM deal the Jets are now in the process of restructuring — in March 2022, team brass has revealed dissatisfaction with the future Hall of Famer’s commitment level last year. The Packers viewed Rodgers skipping OTAs last year as detrimental to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs‘ rookie-year development, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Schneidman adds the team was dissatisfied with Rodgers’ day-to-day commitment throughout last season. The four-time MVP, who has been at Jets OTAs this offseason, disputed the notion his 2022 absence hindered the Packers.

“When I’m in, I’m all in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?” Rodgers said. “I won MVP without doing offseason workouts. Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those in Green Bay. I think that’s just a cop-out written to try and find something to disparage me about that, honestly, when you know what offseason workouts are really about, it’s completely ridiculous.”

The key difference between Rodgers’ 2021 OTAs absence and his 2022 no-show: receiving talent. Green Bay dealt Davante Adams to Las Vegas and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling leave for Kansas City in free agency last March. Adams has said the Packers’ final offer surpassed the Raiders’ deal (five years, $140MM) and that he wanted to leave Green Bay. But the sides also went through failed negotiations during the 2021 offseason. Adams sought to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver during the summer ’21 talks; Rodgers said the Packers’ initial offer was nowhere close, indicating it checked in below $20MM per year.

Adams broke off talks with the Packers ahead of last season and played out the $14.5MM-per-year extension he had signed in 2017. Although the Packers upped their offer before franchise-tagging him in 2022, Rodgers wonders if the team’s early hesitancy affected the All-Pro wideout’s desire to stay.

“They offered him less money than Christian Kirk and [Adams] is going, ‘Are you serious right now? I’m the best receiver in the league, and you’re gonna offer me less than Christian Kirk?’” Rodgers said of the Pack’s offer compared to Kirk’s $18MM-AAV Jaguars deal. “With all due respect, he’s not on Davante’s level.

“I’m sure that the team will say that’s just the business of negotiation — it’s like, yeah, but you’re also sending a message to that guy, and a lot of times it can stick with guys and make them a little sour on things. … That goes back to the first offer that they made, and I don’t think [the Packers] had the foresight — obviously didn’t have the foresight.”

Rodgers’ numbers suffered without Adams and Valdes-Scantling, with Doubs and Watson — the latter’s late-season surge notwithstanding — not measuring up to the veterans’ contributions. Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ MVP awards when asked in January if the veteran starter or Love gave the Packers a better chance to win. Three-plus months later, Rodgers became a Jet. Gutekunst did not believe he could sit Love for a fourth season, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Rich Cimini; the sixth-year GM had said many times this offseason the fourth-year backup was ready to play.

Gutekunst and Rodgers did not meet this offseason; scheduling conflicts have been cited. The Packers have also accused Rodgers of rebuffing efforts to meet, per ESPN.com. Rodgers said he reached out to Packers management regarding a meeting with the front office and Matt LaFleur before he trekked to the darkness retreat, but after he referenced the Pack’s lack of communication, a desire to play for the Jets — rather than retire — emerged post-darkness. As Brett Favre did 15 years ago, Rodgers will now attempt to prove the Packers wrong.

“Did Brian text me more than I texted him? Yeah, but did I ghost him? No,” Rodgers said, via Schneidman. “I texted him back. There was back-and-forths that we had and so this is the story you wanna go with? You’re gonna stand on this hill of austerity and say that arguably in the conversation of the best player in your franchise history, you’re gonna say I couldn’t get a hold of him and that’s why we had to move on?

“Like, come on, man. Just tell the truth; you wanted to move on. You didn’t like the fact that we didn’t communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like.”

Davante Adams Named In Lawsuit Over Shoving Incident

May 26th, 2023 at 3:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

The way in which Raiders wideout Davante Adams exited the field after the team’s loss to the Chiefs in October has once again become the source of a legal development. Adams shoved photographer Park Zebley to the ground as he was departing GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which raised the potential for legal and league discipline to follow.

Adams has now been named in a civil lawsuit filed by Zebley, as detailed by David Hudnall of the Kansas City Star. Aside from the 30-year-old, the Raiders, Chiefs, the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority and Landmark Events Staffing have also been named as defendants for their various levels of responsibility for Adams’ conduct and the general safety of personnel on and around the field.

Adams – who apologized for the incident via social media following the game – is currently facing a misdemeanor assault charge for his actions. His next scheduled court date is June 26; it is believed the NFL will await the outcome of those proceedings to decide if any further discipline in the form of a fine or suspension will be necessary. This latest development marks another potential turning point in this case, though.

“A municipal misdemeanor battery charge is not sufficient,” a statement from Zebley reads. “I’m looking for justice. You can’t shove someone down and walk off like it didn’t happen. Not in real life.”

Zebley contends that, in addition to the injuries he sustained (including a concussion), he received death threats online following the incident. As a result, the 20-year-old “felt concerned for his own safety and sought counseling and stayed away from his apartment.”

“We’re in the beginning stages of this,” Zebley’s attorney Dan Curry said. “But [Zebley] is looking for compensation for what happened to him, and if a jury has to decide, then that’s who’ll decide.”

Raiders Rumors: Adams, Renfrow, OL

May 19th, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Raiders’ plan to separate from Derek Carr surfaced, Davante Adams indicated he was not planning to make an effort to follow his ex-college teammate out the door. Adams is signed through 2026 on what is still the NFL’s second-most lucrative receiver deal. The Raiders have made some changes this offseason, most notably replacing Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo. Adams made some cryptic comments about the franchise’s direction this week.

“[The front office] thinks this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent,” Adams said regarding the team’s offensive vision, via The Ringer’s Mirin Fader. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now. … I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible. It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

Rumored to be potentially kept in the loop regarding the Raiders’ big-picture decisions, Adams expressed hesitancy regarding his fit with Garoppolo. The veteran quarterback is tied to the Raiders through at least 2023, due to his $33.75MM guarantee, and may well be a multiyear Las Vegas starter, seeing as the team did not draft a quarterback.

“It all depends on the style of ball that we play,” Adams said. “If we play a certain brand of ball, I can get [Garoppolo] to conform to whatever. But if we use him a certain type of way, then it’s going to make it tough for us to maximize who we should be this year.”

For what it’s worth, Adams shared a photo with GM Dave Ziegler after that interview surfaced. Adams, who will turn 31 later this year, earned his third straight first-team All-Pro honor last season. He will team with Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow and UFA addition Jakobi Meyers as Garoppolo’s lead supporting cast. Here is the latest out of Vegas:

  • While Ziegler and Josh McDaniels signed off on Renfrow’s two-year, $32MM extension during the 2022 offseason, the veteran slot player delivered underwhelming early returns in McDaniels’ system. After Renfrow’s 1,038-yard 2021 showing helped drive the Raiders into the playoffs, he managed just 330 in 10 games last year. Since giving Renfrow that extension, the Raiders have signed Meyers to an $11MM-per-year deal and drafted slot target Tre Tucker in Round 3. Pegging the odds of Renfrow being elsewhere by 2024 as “90%,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes he joined Darren Waller in being a poor fit for McDaniels’ offense (subscription required). McDaniels also cut down on Renfrow’s route improvisations, which were encouraged under Jon Gruden. Trading Renfrow in 2024 (when his base salary spikes to $11.2MM) would save the Raiders $8MM.
  • The Raiders have surprisingly made it to mid-May without adding a starter-caliber outside free agent on their offensive line. That might not be the case by training camp. Citing the team’s potential to add a veteran guard or tackle, Tafur adds he would be “shocked” if Alex Bars remained the team’s right guard starter. Pro Football Focus rated Bars, a former Bears UDFA, as the Raiders’ worst starting O-lineman by a wide margin last season. Guard Dalton Risner remains unsigned, as do Rodger Saffold, Pat Elflein, A.J. Cann and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Longtime Raider Gabe Jackson, whom Gruden traded to the Seahawks in 2021, is also available. The Raiders also showed interest in Paris Johnson, per Tafur. Although the Cardinals discussed a deal with the Raiders for the No. 7 pick, Arizona moving ahead of Vegas for No. 6 (to take Johnson) makes sense.
  • The team re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor but also brought back 2021 right tackle starter Brandon Parker, who missed last year with an injury. Eluemunor will also be a candidate to slide to guard, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore, after having played there in the past. That would be an internal way to upgrade from Bars. Second-year tackle Thayer Munford and Justin Herron, one of many ex-Patriots in Vegas, stand to factor in for the RT gig.

West Notes: 49ers, Hudson, Raiders, Broncos

January 27th, 2023 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers may go into the NFC championship game without Elijah Mitchell. The team’s Week 1 starter, who has become a key off-the-bench contributor behind Christian McCaffrey since the team acquired the high-priced back from the Panthers, is battling a groin injury and did not practice this week. Mitchell is listed as questionable to face the Eagles, but this is the latest in a long run of injuries for a second-year player. Mitchell went on IR twice because of separate MCL sprains this season and battled shoulder, knee and finger injuries as a rookie. Jordan Mason worked as McCaffrey’s primary backup during Mitchell’s second stint on IR, while the team also has rookie Tyrion Davis-Price and Tevin Coleman (practice squad) available. Coleman has logged 12 carries for 26 yards this season; Davis-Price has 34 for 99 as a rookie.

Here is the latest from the West divisions:

  • Rodney Hudson made it through just four games in his second Cardinals season, spending much of it on IR. The 33-year-old center signed an extension — three years, $30MM — with the Cards upon being acquired via trade in 2021, but a recent restructure points him out of town. Hudson agreed to drop his 2023 base salary from $8.25MM to $2.05MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This lends to the notion a new Cardinals regime will release Hudson, with OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald noting the $2.05MM figure doubles as the max amount a player can receive in 2023 via the CBA’s injury protection benefit (Twitter link). Hudson, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders, considered retirement this past offseason and may be headed out the door in 2023. The Cards would be hit with $5MM-plus in dead money by cutting Hudson without a post-June 1 designation.
  • Shifting to the AFC West, the Raiders will spend the next several weeks being connected to quarterbacks. They are expected to trade or release Derek Carr before his $40.4MM guarantee vests Feb. 15, and Josh McDaniels reuniting with Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo is already coming up. Raiders GM Dave Ziegler was also impressed with Florida QB Anthony Richardson when he scouted him against Tennessee this past season, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock has Richardson going off the board at No. 9 — as the fourth QB selected — but the ex-Gator talent is fairly raw and will have more development to complete once in the pros. If the Raiders were to sign Brady, drafting a QB at No. 7 would obviously cut into their offseason resources to build around him. But Brady also would not solve the Silver and Black’s long-term need at the position.
  • Davante Adams was set to appear in court this week, in connection to the shoving incident at Arrowhead Stadium, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes the appearance will be delayed until June 26. Adams faces a suspension for the postgame shove of a photographer, a 20-year-old Missouri-Kansas City student, in October.
  • DeShawn Williams started a career-high 15 games for the Broncos this season, playing a career-most 597 defensive snaps. The 30-year-old defensive tackle, who is on track for free agency in March, said he wants to re-sign with the Broncos, via Denver7’s Troy Renck (Twitter link). Denver will prioritize a new deal with D-lineman Dre’Mont Jones, who sounded like he wanted to test the market, and has D.J. Jones signed through 2024. Williams, though, would not be especially expensive. Contributing regularly to a top-10 defense, Williams totaled 4.5 sacks this season.

WR Davante Adams Says He’s Sticking With Raiders

January 4th, 2023 at 10:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Davante Adams‘ friendship with quarterback Derek Carr led to the duo teaming up in Las Vegas. It looks like Carr’s tenure with the Raiders has likely come to an end, but even with the change at quarterback, the wide receiver has made it clear that he’ll be staying put. Adams told Tashan Reed of The Athletic that while he’d appreciate some input regarding the QB decision, he’ll “absolutely” be sticking with the Raiders regardless of how things unfold.

[RELATED: Raiders Expected To Retain Josh Jacobs]

“I wouldn’t have ended up here if Derek [Carr] wasn’t here, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be here in the event that he’s not here,” Adams told Reed (Twitter link).“… My dream was to play for this team before he was a Raider, obviously, [and] at this point I want to try to make this thing work.”

We heard earlier today that Adams was likely heading toward a second season in Las Vegas, mostly due to his contract. The wideout is under contract through the 2026 season, so the team would have plenty of leverage if the player suddenly asked out. Plus, as former NFL agent Joel Corry points out on Twitter, the Raiders did a salary conversion back in July that ultimately resulted in Adams earning $43MM during his first year in Vegas. Ownership would surely push back at paying that amount for only one season of production.

Plus, for what it’s worth, it sounds like the receiver trusts head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler to figure out the Raiders’ quarterback situation.

“Me, Josh and Ziegler, we’ve got a really good dynamic and it’s something that I really appreciate,” Adams told Reed. “I’ve mentioned it to them, as well. Obviously, they don’t have to do anything. I’m not a part of the front office, but obviously the reason why I came here. A step like this is obviously something that means a lot to me in my personal career and obviously what I’m trying to chase as far as the ultimate pursuit to get that ring.

“I’m not a guy that’s just going to come in here just saying anything. They know whether it’s about the scheme or if it’s about personnel, whatever it is, there’s a rhyme to the reason. I’m definitely going to have something behind whatever it is that I’m thinking or I’m saying. We’ve obviously got a good understanding for one another and that helps this whole process.”

Adams has been productive during his first season in Las Vegas, hauling in 95 catches for 1,443 yards and 14 touchdowns. He showed what he can do with a different quarterback under center during Week 17, as the receiver collected 153 receiving yards and two scores with Jarrett Stidham tossing him the ball.

Raiders Expected To Retain Josh Jacobs; Latest On Davante Adams, Derek Carr

January 4th, 2023 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

After the Raiders’ previous regime made some missteps in recent first rounds, the Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler duo passed on all three of the team’s fifth-year options for 2023. Josh Jacobs was the most surprising such move, but he turned his contract year into a statement season.

Jacobs leads the NFL with 1,608 rushing yards and tops the league in yards from scrimmage (2,003); he is pushing to join Marcus Allen as the only Raiders to claim rushing titles. Allen’s top season, for which he was awarded MVP honors, came in 1985. While Jacobs might not quite break Allen’s single-season team records for either rushing yards (1,759) or scrimmage yards (2,314), he is unlikely to leave Las Vegas in 2023.

The Raiders are expected to retain Jacobs — either via a long-term contract or the franchise tag — rather than letting him hit free agency, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Jacobs joins a crowded cast of starter-caliber running backs eligible for free agency in March, but his 2022 season has enhanced his value considerably.

Considering the running back tag is only expected to come in at around $10MM, that becomes a valuable tool for the Raiders regarding Jacobs. The team can cuff the breakthrough back with the tag and either work out an extension before the July 15 deadline or see if 2022 was a fluke before coming back to the table in 2024. The Giants are likely to proceed this way with Saquon Barkley. After entering the season on an uncertain path — one that included a short stretch of trade rumors — the Alabama alum looks like he will remain in place as a cornerstone Raider.

The Raiders took Jacobs 24th overall, selecting him with the pick obtained in the 2018 Khalil Mack trade. Jacobs has logged a career-high (by far) 323 carries this season but has also stayed healthy, playing in all 16 Raiders games. That is a first, as minor injuries nagged him from 2019-21. Jacobs has totaled 1,055 carries as a pro, but his light college workload (251 totes in three seasons) will likely come into play during extension talks. The 24-year-old back presents a case to offer staying power and collect a nice payday. Eight running backs are tied to deals averaging at least $12MM per year. With those $12MM-AAV pacts all signed during either the 2020 or ’21 offseasons, Jacobs will have a case to check in beyond that given the cap’s expected bump past $220MM.

Las Vegas is coming off an eventful week, having effectively separated from Derek Carr. The Raiders benched the nine-year starter for Jarrett Stidham, who had never started a game in four seasons, and Carr is now away from the team. Trade options to move a $40.4MM guarantee off the books will be explored, and Bonsignore adds the team’s new regime had determined Carr was a poor fit early in the season. Long lukewarm on Carr, Mark Davis gave Ziegler and McDaniels freedom to proceed as they saw fit with the former second-round pick.

Carr’s durability notwithstanding, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the Raiders did not believe the veteran quarterback was doing enough to push the ball downfield. They viewed toughness as an issue, per Breer, who adds accountability became another concern for the team. There should be a market for Carr, who would be an upgrade for many teams, but Bonsignore notes the Raiders will cut him — on a dead-money charge of just $5.6MM, thanks to the uniquely structured contract — rather than bring him back and wait for a trade to materialize later. Unless Carr and the Raiders agree to move the guarantee vesting date back from Feb. 15, it appears a near-certainty the longest-tenured QB1 in team history will be gone within the next six weeks.

Davante Adams expressed disappointment with the team’s decision to bench his former college teammate; the duo’s friendship led Adams to seek a trade to Las Vegas. But Adams should not be expected to ask for a trade out of Nevada because Carr is on his way out, Bonsignore adds. Although it would be strange to see Adams remain a Raider but Carr gone, the team has the All-Pro wideout under contract through 2026. The Raiders, however, will likely keep Adams in the loop and are open to appeasing him via trade if their next QB plan does not meet his expectations.

Last season’s playoff berth aside, the new Raiders regime did not view this as a team set to contend in the long term, per Bonsignore. The McDaniels-Ziegler operation has indeed brought a regression, but Davis assured McDaniels will return next season. Following either a six- or seven-win 2022 season, the Raiders will be set for an interesting 2023 — one that will likely feature a host of McDaniels-Tom Brady reunion rumors.

Notable 2023 Pro Bowl Incentives

December 21st, 2022 at 9:22pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL announced their 2023 Pro Bowl rosters this evening. Besides the ability to list the accolade on their career resume (plus the monetary bonus that comes from participating in and winning the game), many players had a financial incentive for wanting a Pro Bowl nod. We’ve collected some of the notable Pro Bowl contract incentives below, most via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter (unless noted).

Geno Smith‘s contract bonus came via a specific incentive that required not only Pro Bowl recognition but 20 touchdown passes, according to Yates (on Twitter). Smith hit that TD mark back in Week 13. The impending free agent is set to cash in following a breakout campaign during his age-32 season.

Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has a more complex bonus worked into his contract. According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter), Howard is one step closer to earning a $1MM bonus thanks to his Pro Bowl nod, but he’ll also need Miami to improve in either wins, points allowed, TDs allowed, total defense, interceptions, average net yards allowed per rushing play, or turnover margin.

Speaking of the Dolphins, the organization saved a chunk of future money since one of their players didn’t make the Pro Bowl roster. As Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald tweets, Tua Tagovailoa‘s fifth-year option would have increased from $22MM to $28MM if he earned a Pro Bowl nod.

Raiders WR Davante Adams Charged In Connection With Shoving Incident

October 16th, 2022 at 10:26am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 16: The NFL will not make a decision with respect to a possible suspension for Adams until the legal process has concluded, as Rapoport writes. Adams will be disciplined under the league’s personal conduct policy — which includes an NFL investigation and a decision by Judge Sue L. Robinson– as opposed to game-day rules. That is presumably because the incident took place after the game was over and did not involve another player.

OCTOBER 12: Momentum may be moving toward a Davante Adams suspension. Kansas City police charged Adams in connection with his postgame shove of a photographer, according to KCTV5’s Shain Bergen (on Twitter).

Initially reported as a misdemeanor assault charge, Adams is actually facing a city ordinance violation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This checks in a bit below misdemeanor assault. It carries a $250-$1K fine and/or up to 180 days in jail.

The NFL is reviewing this matter. While the Raiders’ Week 6 bye gives the league a bit more time, a decision should be expected before Las Vegas resumes its season. A suspension and/or a fine are considered to be in play after Adams shoved the photographer to the ground following the Raiders’ one-point loss Monday night.

This certainly qualifies as one of the more unusual developments in recent NFL history. The photographer Adams shoved filed charges against the 29-year-old pass catcher not long after the incident. Adams apologized shortly after the encounter, but this matter is not going away. The All-Pro wideout is due in court Nov. 10.

The police report indicates the photographer, Ryan Zebley, sustained whiplash and a possible minor concussion as a result of Adams’ shove. Upon filing these charges, Zebley indicated he went to a Kansas City-area hospital as a result of this unusual postgame incident. The video evidence available should allow for an expedited NFL investigation, and should the result end with an Adams ban, it would certainly mark a notable chapter in the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry.

Las Vegas’ post-bye schedule starts with games against the Texans, Saints, Jaguars and Colts. The team also lost Darren Waller to a hamstring injury against the Chiefs, leaving the Pro Bowl tight end uncertain for Week 7. Being without Adams to start that stretch would obviously further limit the Raiders’ offense, which has a reduced margin for error thanks to Monday’s one-point loss that dropped the team to 1-4. Adams is in the first season of a five-year, $140MM contract. Although he caught two touchdown passes against the Chiefs, Adams’ Raiders tenure is off to a rocky start because of this issue.

Davante Adams Shoving Incident Could Produce Suspension

October 11th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the immediate aftermath of the Raiders’ one-point loss to the Chiefs, Davante Adams shoved a photographer to the ground (video link). Adams walked into the tunnel toward the locker room at Arrowhead Stadium soon after.

While the ninth-year wide receiver issued an unprompted apology to the man he shoved soon after, NFL discipline could come his way. A fine and potentially a suspension is on the table for the Raiders wide receiver, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The NFL is reviewing the situation.

Adams, 29, has never been suspended during his NFL career. Given the video evidence available, it should not be long before the Raiders learn if their top pass catcher will face a suspension. The Raiders have a Week 6 bye, and Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com notes no timetable exists for Adams punishment (Twitter link).

The photographer has since filed a police report, alleging assault. The man claimed, via TMZ, he needed to be hospitalized after the fall. Adams shoved the photographer after the man had walked in front of him on the way to the locker room. This came minutes after the Raiders failed to convert a fourth-and-1, a play that featured Adams and Hunter Renfrow colliding. The collision finished off the Chiefs’ comeback win.

It seems a notable fine, at the very least, will come Adams’ way. But the Raiders may need to brace for a short suspension as well. Given Las Vegas’ 1-4 start, any Adams absence would be a seminal development regarding hopes the team has of crawling out of this hole and into playoff contention.

The former Packers All-Pro is in the first season of a five-year, $140MM contract. The Raiders have already played without Renfrow this season and went through most of Monday night’s game without Darren Waller, who sustained a hamstring injury. Losing Adams would obviously be a considerable issue for a team battling uphill after a tough start.

Raiders WR Davante Adams On Trade Request, Packers Exit

September 6th, 2022 at 10:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

After years of Davante Adams–Derek Carr reunion rumors, the Raiders made that happen this year by completing a tag-and-trade transaction with the Packers. Rejoining his ex-Fresno State teammate, Adams will begin play on his five-year, $140MM contract this week.

The ninth-year wide receiver had already confirmed the Packers offered more money to keep him. Despite that, Adams requested to be traded out of Green Bay, according to Tim Keown of ESPN.com.

“The time came where I had to think about my overall life and happiness,” Adams said, via Keown. “Where do I want my kids to grow up? I love Green Bay, but I’m a West Coast dude and a lot of family — especially my grandparents — haven’t been able to see me play in close to a decade of playing pro ball. It’s all the same people that’s coming — and it’s not a whole lot.”

An East Palo Alto, Calif., native, Adams played with Carr at Fresno State from 2012-13. The two had discussed a reunion at various points — one coming in 2017, before Adams signed a $14MM-per-year extension to stay in Green Bay — but Carr called Adams shortly after the Raiders’ wild-card loss to the Bengals, Keown adds. Classifying his 2022 recruitment of Adams “egregious,” Carr said something to the effect of, “Hey, whenever you’re ready, I’m ready. Let’s figure this thing out” to his former college teammate ahead of the Packers’ divisional-round game against the 49ers. Carr’s recruitment of Adams, who was set for free agency before the Packers tagged him, continued between the Packers’ playoff loss and the March trade.

Aaron Rodgers discussed his pitch for Adams to stay earlier this year, but Keown notes the four-time MVP told Adams his time in Green Bay was nearing its conclusion and the wideout needed to make his own choice about his long-term NFL future. Although Adams added, “it is not like I orchestrated this; nothing like that,” the Packers accommodated the wide receiver’s wishes to be moved. It was known Las Vegas was his preferred destination.

The trade sent Adams out of the NFC, freed up some funds (Green Bay re-signed both De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas this offseason) and provided first- and second-round picks (used on linebacker Quay Walker and to move up for wide receiver Christian Watson).

The Raiders have Carr signed through the 2025 season, via the three-year, $141.5MM extension agreed to in April. While a narrow 2023 window exists for the Raiders to escape the extension comes after Super Bowl LVII — $40.5MM (his 2023 base salary and part of his ’24 base) is due on Feb. 15 — the Carr-Adams connection reforming makes it highly unlikely the Raiders would bail on this pairing after one season. Las Vegas also has Hunter Renfrow signed through 2024.

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