Davante Adams trade speculation heats up after Raiders WR is ruled out

Mike Moraitis

•
Davante Adams trade speculation heats up after Raiders WR is ruled out image

When Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, one of the big draws for him was joining his former college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr. But once Carr was cut loose by Las Vegas following the 2022 campaign, that kicked off speculation that Adams wouldn't last much longer with the Raiders.

After finishing his second season with the Raiders in 2023, Adams was the subject of plenty of trade speculation this offseason, especially as it related to joining his former teammate Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets.

Then, a clip of the Raiders star wideout from last season surfaced during the Netflix series "Receiver" that showed Adams voicing his displeasure with the quarterback at the time, Jimmy Garoppolo, on the sideline. As you'd expect, speculation kicked into high gear after that.

However, Adams has made it clear on numerous occasions that he doesn't want to be traded, and his agent even released a statement to shoot down the speculation.

“It’s funny that I have to say it every week for people,” Adams said this week on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. “Sometimes you just get to a point where you are secure enough in how you feel and who you are to where you just stop really worrying about what everybody is thinking all the time… At no point have I been voicing ‘I want to do this, or I want to do that.’ I’ve said millions of times if I want to do anything, I’d be gone by now.”

"This is baseless, unfounded speculation, and Davante is expected to be with the Raiders as there has been absolutely no trade talk -- period," Adams' agents wrote back in July.

But the idea that Adams could be traded isn't going away anytime soon, especially now that the Raiders are 1-2 and on the brink of spiraling out of control thanks to a slew of injuries that include Adams, who is set to miss the Week 4 game due to a hamstring injury he came down with during practice on Thursday.

Adams was ruled out on Friday on the team's official injury report, and the sudden injury and his being ruled out led to conspiracy theories about Adams not really being hurt and just wanting out of Las Vegas.

There is no evidence either of those things are true, but that didn't stop the internet from thinking that could be the case.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.