National Football League

Davante Adams speaks on 'direct' mentality, Raiders' QB battle

Published Jul. 9, 2024 9:49 p.m. ET

Superstar Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams spoke for himself Tuesday on "Speak" about one of his famous "a quarterback doesn't make me" comment from last year.

The three-time First-team All-Pro recipient was ecstatic when he received the award for the third straight season following the 2022 campaign. And while the honor itself was no different from previous years, Adams felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulder given that it was his first without Aaron Rodgers.

Adams had been viewed as a product of Rodgers' greatness for many seasons during the height of his career in Green Bay, and for the 31-year-old, the 2022 nod with the Raiders was a testament to his individual greatness. And during that offseason, he spoke brazenly about his own brilliance.

"It proved that I am me," Adams told The Ringer in an interview published in May 2023. "A quarterback doesn't make me. … I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level. … You can erase all the numbers. You can just write in: He didn't need Aaron Rodgers. When I got it, I was like, ‘All right, I'll never care about another one.'"

Adams doubled down on his statements Tuesday.

"I'd like to think that I'm a very direct person," he told "SPEAK" co-host Emmanuel Acho after he was asked about the comments. "I was definitely not trying to throw a hint at anything. It was direct. Having a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, obviously that's gonna help anybody. … But as you saw with that next season, everybody thought that ‘Maybe he's just a product of Aaron Rodgers', and that was just me saying I'm absolutely not that. I am my own player. I'm a generational talent, and I take a tremendous amount of pride in what I do, which is what led my being the player that I am."

Adams was sure to give those who've helped him in his journey their flowers, but emphasized that no one factor was more important to his success than his own work ethic. He also explained that Rodgers himself agreed with his comments.

Davante Adams on his confidence as a WR | Speak

"[It's] not another human being, or not a system, or none of that," he said. "It's me and what I put into it, and obviously with the help of a lot of things, with my supporting cast with the Packers and continuing with the Raiders right now, but at the end of the day it's a product of the work I've put in and everything I've invested in this thing. So I just wanted to be clear with that. And me and Aaron talked about it and everything and he agreed. He told people that for years, so they made a big deal about it when I said it, but when he said it they acted like he didn't hear it."

Adams is fresh off his fourth-straight season with at least 1,000 yards receiving (1,144), while he posted eight TDs on 103 receptions. But he caught passes from three different quarterbacks as the Raiders faced quarterback turmoil that ultimately helped push out head coach Josh McDaniels midseason. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce promoted then-rookie Aidan O'Connell, who started the team's final nine games. Adams thinks O'Connell remains the leader to start Week 1 of the 2024 season over veteran free-agent signing Gardner Minshew.

"I think right now if I had to say, I think Aidan has the job," Adams said. "At the end of the day I don't have a preference other than the fact that I want somebody that's confident and ready to go when it's time to do it. So, whoever that is, that's who I want throwing the ball.

"We still gotta keep working and do what we've got to do to grow and get better. We can definitely get better than where we are. … Even me, at this point in the year this is not where you are gonna show your best. So throughout camp when we really start throwing the pads on, and doing the real deal, I think that's when we'll be able to decide who the guy will be, and I'll continue working to get that camaraderie with that person."

O'Connell went 5-4 as the Raiders' starter after Pierce benched Jimmy Garoppolo midway into the season. The former Purdue signal-caller completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards, while throwing 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

But the Raiders just inked Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal this past offseason, and while O'Connell is currently receiving first-team snaps, it remains to be seen who ultimately gets the starting quarterback job when the regular season kicks off.

For Adams, as long his QB1 can net Las Vegas wins, he's satisfied.

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