Davante Adams says he fully backs Raiders management, QB Jimmy Garoppolo

By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Davante Adams had a clear message to send Thursday, and he spent 2 1/2 minutes answering the first media question posed to him to show that he is fully on board for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Adams was quoted in The Ringer earlier this month appearing to question decisions made this offseason by the Raiders’ front office. The most notable action by general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels was signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

“I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible,” he said, according to the article. “It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

Adams said Thursday the article didn’t represent his feelings toward the team or its management.

“Jimmy’s a great guy,” Adams said. “I love him to death. I didn’t know him very well before he got here, but getting to work together a little bit to be around each other and get to know him … I’m definitely excited to get to work with him and everybody else that’s in here. As far as the front office, I haven’t had a relationship in the past 10 years I’ve been in this game I have with those guys.

“At the end of the day, I’m a Raider and excited to be here. I love my head coach, I love the general manager here and everybody from top to bottom. One thing I don’t do is BS, so I’m not going to make anything up when it comes to that. These are some good men in this place that I really value the relationship that I have with them.”

McDaniels said he wasn’t bothered by anything in The Ringer article and that it didn’t affect his relationship with Adams, but acknowledged not every player will agree with every decision made by management.

“The thing I’d say about a player like Davante, and we have many other players in the same category, is they have an opinion and a voice because they’ve earned it,” McDaniels said. “I respect the hell out of anything that they would say or suggest during the course of the process of trying to improve our team, which I know where Davante comes from. He’s a competitor, he wants to win, and that’s really his sole focus.”

The Raiders concluded their first week of organized team activities on Thursday. Garoppolo is not practicing as he recovers from a broken left foot, and running back Josh Jacobs is absent because of contract negotiations. Las Vegas placed the franchise tag on Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing in 2022 with 1,653 yards, but the two sides have been talking about a long-term deal.

Adams said he and Garoppolo have been going over video and talking regularly to make up for the time lost on the practice field.

Adams is in his second season in Las Vegas after being traded by Green Bay last year. He caught 100 passes last season for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn a first-team spot on the AP All-Pro team for the third year in a row. It was the fourth time in five seasons he totaled at least 100 receptions and 1,000 yards.

The Raiders, however, went 6-11, an unusual situation for Adams after eight years with the Packers.

“In Green Bay, we won a lot of games — I don’t know if it’s because we took it for granted or whatever — but now I have a better understanding for how good it feels to win,” Adams said. “I learned that it’s definitely not as easy as maybe we made it look before, so working with new guys and coming in with even more new guys this year, I learned patience is the biggest word at the end of the day.”

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