Davante Adams received his wish and is now a New York Jet, which means Wednesday provided the first opportunity for reporters to ask him if this is what he wanted all along.
Adams didn't say that outright, but he did note sometimes a breakup is best for everyone. Adams isn't waiting long to get back out there, either, telling reporters Wednesday he'll definitely "be able to roll" in Week 7 for the Jets after missing his final three games with the Raiders nursing a hamstring injury.
"It's been a roller coaster, for sure. It's a weird thing to say that I'm happy, but obviously it was time for a change," Adams said. "This whole thing transpired a little weird, but at the end of the day, we're in a better place. I think that the Raiders are in a better place, as well. Everybody can kinda move on."
A little weird is right. Adams requested a trade on Oct. 1 after sitting out of a game the Raiders won without him 16-10 over the Cleveland Browns, sullying a bright spot in a challenging season for Las Vegas. As documented on Netflix's Receiver series, Adams' displeasure with the Raiders dates back to last season, though, and all it took was some subpar quarterback play from Gardner Minshew apparently to revive that unhappiness.
This time, it resulted in Tuesday's trade to the Jets. For Adams, he didn't mince words about where he wanted to go: New York, where he could play with his good pal Aaron Rodgers, with whom he played in Green Bay for eight seasons (2014-2021).
"Essentially, yeah," Adams said when asked if he was able to tell the Raiders he wanted to be traded to the Jets. "I mean, that's where it started. All the fans, everybody who's associated with the Raiders, they see everything, they see a trade demand, and they just think he wants out, he's quitting on the team, when it's more about just being able to feel like I can ... I don't want that helpless feeling of feeling like I'm on the field -- not every game's gonna be a 100-yard game or a 150-, 200-yard game -- but I wanna feel like I can impact the game every time I touch the field. So just having the confidence that I'll be able to make some plays and change the game if need be versus getting out there on the field and feeling like we need too many things to go right in order for me to be successful."
Adams will certainly have a better chance to find success with Rodgers than he did with Minshew or Aidan O'Connell, going so far as saying on Wednesday "sometimes, you've got to make it easier and get to a situation that allows you to be yourself." For his part, Rodgers appeared pleased by the trade, mere hours after another frustrating Jets loss ended in a Rodgers interception thrown while targeting Mike Williams.
Those playing the roster game may as well swap Adams for Williams, especially after Rodgers didn't hide his displeasure with Williams' route running following their Monday night loss to the Buffalo Bills. That will soon be old news once Rodgers connects with Adams for the first time as Jets teammates.
It's a moment Adams is already eagerly awaiting to bring to life.
"It's great just being back, being able to be with my guy," Adams said. "First and foremost, just being able to spend time with him everyday again is something that I put a lot of value on. Just having his company, but obviously having him as my quarterback again, he's part of why I am who I am and why I turned into the player. Whether it's the cerebral approach, it's the attention to detail, just learning from him and watching him operate and just how dialed he is in at all times, I feel like that has a lot to do with how I ultimately ended up functioning the way I do as a player."
Adams followed a similar track of logic when he forced his way out of Green Bay to Las Vegas, where his old Fresno State quarterback, Derek Carr, held a firm grip on the starting quarterback job at the time. Once that fell apart under then-head coach Josh McDaniels, though, the clock started ticking on Adams' time with the Silver and Black, too.
That clock officially ran out Tuesday. He hopes he'll have much more time with his new team.
"I hope so. That's the plan," Adams said when asked if he'd like a multi-year relationship with the Jets. "I never go somewhere in hopes of having to find a new home."
