Analysis: Trading for Davante Adams shows the Raiders are all-in

By Case Keefer (contact)

Sunday, March 20, 2022 | 2 a.m.

The Raiders were starting to sink back into a bottom feeder. At least that’s how it looked on the surface.

With the moves their three AFC West rivals had made through Tuesday, next year’s Raiders profiled more like one of the franchise’s teams that strung together 12 straight seasons without a winning record from 2003-2015 than last year’s playoff edition.

The Los Angeles Chargers had emerged as the early winners of the NFL offseason with a flurry of activity including signing cornerback J.C. Jackson and trading for linebacker Khalil Mack. This was only after the Denver Broncos had, of course, traded for a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Russell Wilson.

And the Kansas City Chiefs stayed, well, the Kansas City Chiefs — the team that’s won the division six straight times and reached four consecutive AFC Championship Games.

Las Vegas had reeled in nothing of note. Its roster had more than enough holes and lack of horsepower to call for a capsizing.

And maybe that would have been OK. There was a case to be made that waiting out the storm caused by all the teams they play twice a year rumbling with activity and focusing on the future was the smartest path.

But Raiders owner Mark Davis made it clear in January that no such rebuild interested him. Thursday’s blockbuster trade shipping their first two picks in April’s NFL Draft for the Packers’ perennial All-Pro receiver, Davante Adams, showed nothing has changed.

Las Vegas won’t represent helpless blood in the water in the AFC West. It’s planning on being a predator itself.

“Thought y’all was gonna double up on us, huh?” running back Kenyan Drake appropriately tweeted when news of the Adams traded broke. “It’s y’all move now.”

Drake was one of three Raiders who restructured his contract last week, along with left tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James, in moves that helped to allow the trade for Adams to happen. Others were cut (defensive end Carl Nassib, linebacker Cory Littleton, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski) or allowed to leave in free agency (wide receiver Zay Jones, linebacker Nicholas Morrow).

With the vast majority of transactions going outward, everyone started to wonder if the Raiders’ win-now priorities had changed. The first indication that the Raiders weren’t resigned to a dip was their signing of All-Pro edge rusher Chandler Jones from the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday.

But Jones only marks a moderate improvement over last year’s team captain Yannick Ngakoue, who was shipped out to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin in a corresponding move. The idea of relentlessly harassing the opposing-quarterback triumvirate of Wilson, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert with pass rushers like Maxx Crosby and Jones to stay competitive was a start.

But, even then, could a Raiders’ offense that lacked big-play ability late last year keep up on the scoreboard?

Now they should be able to.

That is, if the 29-year-old Adams is truly the best receiver in the NFL as he’s been made out to be for the past couple years. That is, if quarterback Derek Carr is truly capable of being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with the right talent around him as he and others have intimated is possible over the years.

Carr’s ceiling is polarizing even for much-scrutinized quarterback standards, but he’s reportedly the reason Adams departed Green Bay for Las Vegas. Adams’ desire to reunite with his former Fresno State teammate was an even bigger draw than sticking with two-time defending MVP winner Aaron Rodgers.

That may sound shocking, but it shouldn’t be for those who take Carr's past and present receivers at their word. His reputation continues to be sterling among pass-catchers.

“Derek Carr is big,” newly signed depth receiver Mack Hollins, formerly of the Dolphins, said on Thursday. “That’s the guy you want to mesh with a lot.”

Hollins was one of several free agents who recently signed with the Raiders, including Jones, who held introductory news conferences at the team’s Henderson facility Thursday afternoon. Adams’ own appearance should be forthcoming, and Carr might even be in attendance.

Carr may still be the consensus fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West, but there’s a compelling argument to be made that he’s now got the best starting receiving corps. It’s hard to top the Chiefs’ one-two punch of receiver Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, but the Raiders now have three Pro-Bowl pass-catching options in No. 1 receiver Adams, slot option Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.

The best part? They’re all natural stylistic complements to each other.

“Oh, so I’m not punting at all next year huh,” Pro-Bowl punter A.J. Cole jokingly tweeted Thursday. “Let’s go.”

Cole might have worked his leg off on the practice field in the previous days if he misinterpreted the Raiders’ idleness. But the team never had any intention of punting on the season; it just got murky for outside onlookers for a second there.

This isn’t all guaranteed to work, of course. Adams doesn't shore up all the Raiders’ weaknesses — especially a glaring one along the offensive line.

Committing what’s expected to be a record-breaking amount of money in the range of $28 million per year to a 29-year-old receiver soon to exit the position's usual prime is inherently risky.

But Davis has a new $2 billion stadium to fill in its second season hosting fans. He isn’t interested in losing and has long held a burning desire — inherited from his father, Al Davis — to field an exciting and explosive offense.

That was an edict on day 1 to new general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels. Bringing in Adams shows they were listening.

Most importantly, it shows the Raiders weren’t content to concede and settle below their rivals no matter how tempting that route might have been.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or