Raiders Today

The Black Hole: Go Inside the Raiders Acquiring Davante Adams

With the insatiable appetite of the Las Vegas Raiders fans, we take you inside the Silver and Black and give you the inside story of how Davante Adams arrived in Las Vegas.

Hondo Carpenter

In this story:

HENDERSON, Nev.--Mark Davis, the Las Vegas Raider owner, has placed his stamp on the NFL. While other teams swooned over Josh McDaniels, the Silver and Black owner got him.

Davis made the deal to bring the Raiders to the desert and, in the move, flushed his franchise with cash, nearly as fast as the Las Vegas slot machines.

But it is the story of how Davis, through his dream team of Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels, got Davante Adams here.

  • In late May of 2021, I received a message asking me to discuss, "off the record," about the possibility of Green Bay Packers superstar Davante Adams coming to the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • About a month later, when asked by the Fresno State Football program, Derek Carr discussed the matter openly.
  • On June 29, 2021, we reported for the first time on the possibility.
  • We wrote an article on July 1, 2021, as Davante Adams responded to Carr's comments. Again, based on our information, we reported the Adams to the Raiders as a real possibility.
  • On Monday, July 5, 2021, I received another message asking me to discuss, "off the record," the situation.
  • Ironically, Derek Carr was asked about Adams to the Raiders and discussed it. That opened the door for our report on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
  • In my weekly question and answer article from Dec. 21, 2021, I offer you this from my weekly exchange with fans:

Q: Uncle Hondo, I was listening to you discuss Davante Adams. I know that you have so many connections around the league. Do you sincerely believe he wants to be a Raider? --Keep up the great work, Ken Strawth

A. I do have many connections. I can tell you that I wouldn't say Adams wants to be a Raider, but I would 100 percent tell you that he wants to play with Derek Carr. If the Raiders want him, he does want to be here.

Q. Hondo, I heard you talking Davante Adams. Are you telling me that you have heard if he had a choice to stay in Green Bay or come to Vegas, he would pick Vegas? --Frank Craig

A. I can tell you that I have been told by people very close to the situation that he would pick Las Vegas and Derek Carr over staying in Green Bay, and I also reported that before others started doing so.

·I reported on Feb. 25, 2022, the following:

· The Davante Adams talk, while certainly not a done deal, or even at this point probable, is certainly still viable.

· The Green Bay Packers are in horrible shape financially. According to league sources, "Aaron Rodgers had made it clear that he wants, and will be, the highest-paid player in the league."

· That means to keep Rodgers; the Packers must create money, which means cutting players. If the Packers franchise tags Adams, something they do not want to do, does Rodgers wish to be on a team that has lost the supporting talent necessary to compete?

  • Around the league, the sentiment is that if the Packers sign Rodgers, it will be complicated to keep Adams. One executive said: "If Aaron gets his money, I think that is what is important to him. I don't think he is saying they have to sign Adams, as well as make him the highest paid player, to keep him."
  • While there are a lot of moving pieces, it is very viable that Adams could end up in Las Vegas.

· I have also reported that sources close to the situation have told me the only player in which Derek Carr would take less money than is if the Raiders sign Adams.

· While Adams and Rodgers are close, Adams and Carr are "Brothers."

It is imperative to understand that each week when I co-host The Morning Tailgate with Clay Baker on Mondays on Raider Nation Radio, over the last several months, we have discussed this regularly.

What people didn't understand, and I was getting it directly from sources close to the situation.  I was repeatedly told, "That it wasn't about money with Adams or Carr.  Both men wanted a chance to win a Super Bowl, and to do it together.

Once the Raiders hired Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels, the process seemed more viable.  Ziegler and McDaniels have a reputation for being ferocious competitors, hungry only about winning.

Both men reiterated their owner's thoughts, "This is not a rebuild."  McDaniels had his pick of NFL franchises clamoring for his services.  He wasn't interested in rebuilding, he wanted to win.  Mark Davis wooed him with that commitment, and McDaniels and Ziegler pounced.

Whether getting Davante Adams, or Chandler Jones, those moves are aggressive.  Let alone to get both.  They sent a message.  Extending a Maxx Crosby early sends a message.  It is a loud one, "Just win baby."

On Feb. 26, 2022, B.S. Brothers podcast, I reported, "Davante Adams wants to play in Las Vegas with Derek Carr, don't be shocked."

There are several critical things about this deal. The first is that while a vocal, albeit minority of Raider fans, were eviscerating new GM Dave Ziegler for his lack of what they thought was an effort, he was doing the opposite.

While Derek Carr had undoubtedly tried to relay to the new Silver and Black leadership that he believed Davante wanted to join him, they had not broken NFL tampering rules. Ziegler went on a mad dash to clear salary-cap space should it happen, but no one knew. Believe it or not, the Raiders played strictly to the NFL rules.

The Raiders had two contract extensions for Derek Carr. One if they could land Davante Adams, and one of them if they didn't. We broke the story that Carr was willing to take less money if they could sign his long-time friend. Carr's deal is already worked out, minus some minor details, and should be announced soon.

Ziegler couldn't do anything with Carr until he knew about Adams, and he was also in the hunt for the number-one defensive free agent in Chandler Jones.

Once the Raiders got the OK to talk to Adams, a deal for the talented Fresno Bulldog was easy. He took less money to play for the Raiders and with his best friend, as will Carr.

But there are two big things that people need to be aware of in this situation. Mark Davis getting the Raiders to Las Vegas allowed them to accumulate the raw cash that this deal reacquired. Yes, everyone has the same salary cap, but cash is king in an NFL world where maneuvering in, around, and through a salary cap can be as perplexing as a teenage game of Twister.

Secondly, the Raiders had no clue if the Green Bay Packers would play hardball to give up Adams. Once he clarified it wasn't about money, the Packers realized freeing up cap space and getting two high picks allowed bother parties to win.

While it is no secret that Derek Carr has his critics in Raider Nation, his biggest fans are players and people in the league.  Davante Adams isn't a Las Vegas Raider today because of the team's location.  He isn't a Las Vegas Raider because of the money, he was offered more by the Packers.  He is a Las Vegas Raider because of Derek Carr.

Mark Davis, Dave Ziegler, and Josh McDaniels have accomplished a lot in a short time, and I can report they are not done.  But it is about people, and it certainly appears they have them in place.

No matter what the rest of the AFC West has done, the Raiders have done more.  This 10-win team from last year, the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs is better. Significantly better.  Trust the process is the Raider way.  A way that has now put the NFL on notice.  

There is a new Sheriff in the wild west, and they are pillaging just for fun.  Fun that will come in just about six months.

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Hondo Carpenter
HONDO CARPENTER

Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist who brings decades of experience to his role as editor and publisher, and beat writer for our Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL coverage. Carpenter is a member of the PFWA, FWAA, and USBWA.

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