‘A dream come true’ – wide receiver Davante Adams happy to be with Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Henderson, Nevada – No, Davant Adams He said, he and Derek Carr He did not “plan” to get him from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders in order to reunite the old Fresno State Bulldogs in Sin City.

But the All-Pro receiver and quarterback who holds virtually every passing record in Raiders franchise history has spoken out. a lot.

“It’s something we’ve definitely been looking forward to, and potentially doing down the road,” Adams said at his introductory media conference at the team facility on Tuesday, after five days of massive trade that landed the Adams Raiders.

“But obviously, I’m playing in Green Bay, which is a great position, I have, you know, the greatest midfielder playing the game (in Aaron Rodgers), this is a dream in itself. So, I wouldn’t take anything away from anything Green Bay gave me or Aaron gave me. It was a great opportunity to work there and do what I’ve been doing for almost a decade. But, you know, things change sometimes. This is not the first time that an influential player in an organization has left. I feel like it worked out for both sides, in the end.”

Adams, 29, was awarded a $20.14 million franchise mark for receivers by the Packers, who later received the Raiders’ first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft, number 22 and 53 overall. And the Conquerors had their first wide run still in the head who actually wanted to be a striker since Hall of Famer Tim Brown at the turn of the century. Adams signed a five-year, $142.5 million extension with $67.5 million guaranteed to stay in Las Vegas and have a good college friend throw balls at him, to boot.

Yes, the Raiders, quarterbacks and their fans were definitely happy.

Adams set the Packers franchise records for one season in catches (123) and receiving yards (1,553) last season and became only the sixth player in NFL history with over 120 catches, 1,500+ yards and 11-plus in the same season. . He is also the only player in league history to have authored three seasons of 110 or more catches, 1,350 over yards, and 11 or more TD catches, and did so in 2018, 2020, and 2021.

Carr, who turns 31 next week, will have a career best of 4,804 yards, despite having thrown 14 interceptions in his career and been sacked 40 times, the second-highest total of his career.

“Once we got to a point where[the potential trade]was a real thing now, it wasn’t just an idea, we started trying to put a little plan together,” Adams allowed. “I was traded, so it wasn’t strictly up to us.

“We didn’t plan for this. We just checked in on each other, football way. We checked on each other about family and real stuff. But in terms of football and getting together, you’re not a great teammate in your current organization if that’s all you’re concerned about.

“He had to worry about getting the ball to Hunter (Renfrew) and Darren (Waller) and those guys and being a great teammate here. And I had to do whatever I could to try to get to the Super Bowl. It didn’t happen to either of us. So, once we got to the point where It’s real, we’re starting to enjoy it.”

Adams said that a better “quality of life” went into his plan. He had a lot of family members in California who hadn’t seen him play in person since college. Las Vegas was much closer to Green Bay. One of his grandmothers was in the hospital recently.

“Just kind of thinking and thinking about the things in life and the really important things in this world,” he said. “These are the things that stick in my mind when there is a decision to be made.”

Plus, having grown up in East Palo Alto, California, about 26 miles southwest of the Oakland Coliseum, Adams said he was a “lifelong” Raiders fan. So joining them was a bonus.

“It’s a dream to be a rider, man,” Adams said. “It’s a dream come true. In a third grade yearbook, I said I wanted to be, you know, an NFL star or an NBA star. And I was wearing a Charles Woodson shirt at the time. So, it’s been documented forever, so I guess That you could say it was meant to be.”

Woodson, who played defensively for both the Raiders and Packers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer, has seen a lot of Adams over his career.

“The thing that makes him such a special player is that he really is a guy who knows how to let go,” Woodson told ESPN. “The most important thing between being a good receiver and being a great receiver has to do with this breakup. And a lot of the time, he’s going to be open.

“On the road, it will help Derek Carr.”

Adams and Carr entered the NFL together in 2014, and Carr was taken in the second round by the Raiders at 36th overall, and Adams later 17th picks by the Packers.

But his reunion was not the main topic of the congratulations Adams said he received.

He laughed. “Everyone says, ‘Congratulations on being on the Raiders.’ It wasn’t, ‘Congratulations on $140 million.'” It was like, “Congratulations, you can play for a team I grew up loving.”

“Obviously, you’ve made a lot of money already. But to get that kind of safety, go somewhere like dropping out of high school and going to college again, you’re a kid in a candy store. [in] A place they’d be happy to have you and give you all that money? It’s just a bonus. But money does not buy you happiness; It can buy you a beautiful home. It’s really cool.”