Raiders WR Davante Adams rejects trade chatter: 'If I wanted to be gone, I'd be gone by now'

For more than a year, trade rumors surrounding Davante Adams have circulated based on multiple factors, including the coaching change and the 31-year-old seeking to play for a clear contender.

Adams, while speaking at his youth football camp in Las Vegas on Sunday, told reporters that he had no intention of being traded.

“If I wanted to be gone, I’d be gone by now,” Adams said, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “This is where I want to be.”

The Raiders acquired Adams in the spring of 2022 in exchange for first- and second-round picks and handed him a five-year, $140 million contract to complete the process. The trade reunited the wideout with college teammate and close friend Derek Carr. However, the rockiness in Vegas under Josh McDaniels overshadowed everything.

Adams put up 1,515 yards and a league-high 14 touchdowns in his first season in Vegas, but the Raiders’ benching and then releasing of Carr sparked speculation last offseason that the club might move on from the star wideout. That didn’t happen, and while his numbers shrunk in 2023 (1,144 yards, 8 TDs), Adams suggested that firing McDaniels and hiring Antonio Pierce improved the entire operation in Vegas, making him want to stick around.

Adams stated that the full-time hiring of Pierce has already boosted the team’s morale. He said that the team was hoping for this, to be able to maintain their current mindset. He emphasized that Pierce is their chosen leader and they now need to focus on their work. He concluded by saying that it ultimately comes down to their performance.

Adams still has three years remaining on his contract, however, 2024 marks the last year of assured funds from the agreement. The cap number for the wide receiver will surge from $25.35 million this year to $44.1 million for the subsequent two years.