Sep 29, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) walks the sideline before the start of a game between the Raiders and the Cleveland Browns at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams says he hasn’t spoken to Antonio Pierce since the Las Vegas head coach apparently liked a social media post suggesting Adams be traded.
A verified account linked to Pierce liked an Instagram post Monday by Sports Illustrated stating, “Davante Adams is likely to be gone if the Raiders get what they want in a trade.”
“I haven’t heard from him. I haven’t talked to him,” Adams said Tuesday on the “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams,” when asked if he’d spoken to Pierce since then.
Adams didn’t offer a lot of details about the recent social media stir or the hamstring injury that kept him out of Sunday’s 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns, but acknowledged, “… Social media is a beast so it’s a lot of people out there that saw it and wondering what’s going on and reaching out.”
When pressed further about the chatter that his time with the Raiders (2-2) is already done, Adams said, “All I can control is this talk we’re having right here, and after we’re done with this all I can control is the next thing that I’m on to.”
Monday’s social media incident comes on the heels of a Week 3 comment by Pierce that some interpreted as a knock against Adams. After an embarrassing 36-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Pierce told reporters, “There were definitely some individuals that made business decisions, and we’ll make business decisions going forward as well.”
After initially standing by those comments, Pierce apologized after Sunday’s win, telling reporters, “There was a lot of hoopla and stuff. Probably started with me, with my comments, and I apologize for that. Don’t want to be a distraction that way.”
Adams, 31, is under contract through the 2026 season. He said before the 2024 NFL Draft that he had no desire to be traded by the Raiders and that Las Vegas “is where I want to be,” and the Raiders reportedly turned away multiple offers for Adams over the summer.
Yet rumors of a trade persist, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting Tuesday that the Raiders are “growing open to the idea of trading” Adams.
“It gets annoying for sure but I’m one of those players that people like to talk about, one way or the other,” Adams said. “Thank God that he blessed me with the ability to just focus in on what I need to focus in on and not get sidetracked by any of the outside noise.”
Adams is reportedly week-to-week with the hamstring injury suffered in last Thursday’s practice.
He started the first three games this season and has 18 receptions for 209 yards and one touchdown.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, Adams has started all 37 games he has played with the Raiders, beginning in 2022 when he led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.
Adams has 890 career receptions for 10,990 yards and 96 touchdowns in 153 regular-season games (146 starts) for the Green Bay Packers (2014-21) and Raiders.
He also has 72 catches for 910 yards and eight TDs in 11 playoff games, all with the Packers.
–Field Level Media
