Star wide receiver Davante Adams insisted he has an obligation to help the Las Vegas Raiders win despite previous comments.
“Jimmy (Garoppolo) is a great guy,” Adams told reporters Thursday, according to Nick Shook of the NFL website. “Love her to death. I didn’t know him very well before he got here, but working together a little bit, being around each other, getting to know him, he’s a great guy. Definitely excited to get to work. he and all the others who are here.’
After the 2022 season, the Raiders parted ways with quarterback Derek Carr, then traded him for Garoppolo when it became known that the Green Bay Packers were willing to move Adams’ former teammate Aaron Rodgers. Adams then sparked controversy earlier this month when he told The Ringer’s Mirin Fader that he and the Raiders front office “don’t see eye to eye on what we think is best for us at this point.”
Adams spoke glowingly about his relationship with general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels on Thursday, and the six-time Pro Bowl selection made it clear he doesn’t want to be traded this spring or summer.
“You can take something and run with it if you want to get clicks,” Adams said of creating headlines before organized team activities. “That’s what people often do to me and what I say. Whether I’m misspeaking or speaking up. But at the end of the day, I’m a Raider and I’m excited to be here.”
Earlier, McDaniels defended Adams and noted that the 30-year-old “has an opinion and a voice because. [he’s] earned it” as an All-Pro.
“I was never encouraged to speak up and share my feelings with the organization like I did [McDaniels and Ziegler]Adams continued. – I felt from the first time I got a call from them right after getting a trade, that’s the environment I would be in. Just based on what they’ve heard about me. The respect they have for the things I’ve done on the field. And I’m trying to return that respect.”
Adams also suggested that his remarks published by The Ringer were “taken out of context.” The five-year contract he received in March 2022 is reportedly worth up to $141.25 million, keeping him married to the Raiders through at least the 2023 season, so it makes sense for him to try to clear the air before training camp.
“Just like I never want Jimmy to feel any way, think that I didn’t want him here or that I didn’t like him,” Adams remarked. “I don’t want Josh to feel like that. you know i post a picture with him [Ziegler] — and then they say: “Oh, Josh is the one, that must be the real problem.” So you all can do it. If you’re that bored, say go play Monopoly or some s—.”