It sure looks like it.*

We may not ever know the behind the scenes reasons for this breakup, but from the reports it sounds like this is something that has been building between Adams and Head Coach Antonio Pierce. Did this have anything to do with the “business decisions” comment from Pierce after the week three loss to the Carolina Panthers?

It’s interesting that Jack Jones was the person most people pointed the finger at, and he sat the first quarter of the week four game. But Adams (injury), defensive leader Maxx Crosby (injury) and second year tight end Michael Mayer (personal) all sat out the game. Could the coaching staff have been sending a message to the team that even the best players are being held accountable for their effort? Crosby’s effort in week three was abysmal. I hope he was dealing with an ankle injury because if not, then the Raiders have a huge locker room problem.

But this is about Adams right now. Was he dogging it week three? Well, yeah, but not any more than he usually does. By all accounts, he’s a good dude. He doesn’t air his dirty laundry in the press. He doesn’t vocally call out bad play calling or a lack of targets. You don’t see him throwing fits on the field or the sidelines. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t frustrated, or letting his teammates and coaches know about it. Does he put in full effort on running plays? No, not really. Does he go all out on his routes when he knows the ball is going the other direction? No, not really. Does he come up short on his routes if he’s going to take a big hit. Yep, seen him do it quite frequently. You might, if you were so inclined, say he makes a lot of business decisions on the field.

Davante is a talented receiver. He was also there in Green Bay back when Luke Getsy was still considered a quality offensive mind. Coming into the season, he was expected to help mentor the receiver group and help them understand the offense Getsy was putting in place. He’s a veteran who has had success in the league. The team needs his leadership in the lockerroom as they try to get this new coaching system in place. And that’s important, because honestly, his skill set on the field is fading. Blame the quarterbacks if you want, but Adams isn’t the dominant receiver his reputation would have you believe.

He’s never been a burner, he’s made his name through precise route running, strong hands, and great body control. Adams throughout his career has a knack for making contested catches. He had decent speed, but this year he hasn’t shown it. The yards after catch, breaking tackles, just isn’t there. But I think the Raiders would be ok with that amount of production. He still draws double teams, and that helps open up Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and Brock Bowers. They look better because Adams is pulling safeties his direction. So why would the Raiders be ok trading him now? It must have something to do with issues off the field.

Everyone knows the Raiders need to upgrade the quarterback room if they want to compete for the postseason. For those of you that think trading Adams is going to provide the draft capital to get one of the top rookies next year, sorry, but that’s not happening. No one is giving up that much to get this version of Adams. So where’s the best fit and where’s the best deal?

This is where it gets funny looking at various trade scenarios. Someone said Kansas City should go all in. Hilarious! Do you really believe the Raiders are trading him within the division? No way! So Chargers fans just quit, before you even start, no, he’s not going to LA. There are three scenarios I see for the trade:

1. NY JETS – this is a familiar offensive system and a familiar quarterback. It’s also a franchise that is all in on winning a Super Bowl this year or next year. I think he’d be willing to restructure his contract to go there and I think they might be desperate enough to offer something crazy in draft picks like a 2 and a 4 to get him.
2. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – he’s said this is a team he would play for, largely because he would be reunite with Derek Carr. Would the Saints do it? Maybe if they can get him on the cheap, say a 3rd round pick? Wide receiver isn’t their biggest need and their salary cap is a perennial disaster. It could work, but the logistics of it all might be too complex.
3. PITTSBURGH STEELERS – this is the trade I think makes the most sense for both teams. It might not be great for Adams though. My suggestion is that the Raiders and Steelers simply swap headaches: Davante Adams for Russell Wilson. The Steelers get to avoid the locker room dividing quarterback controversy that is coming. They get the weapon they need on offense to help Pickens develop and take the pressure off their running game. The Raiders get the stopgap veteran they need at quarterback until they can develop a young gun over the next two to three years.

I hate to see Davante go. But if there’s some unresolved damage behind the scenes and that relationship can’t be fixed, then the sooner they can move off him the better.

*Adams is still a member of the Raiders at the time of the writing of this article.