Usually when there's a situation brewing like the one involving Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders, players will say it isn't a distraction, no matter how untrue that might be. But wide receiver Jakobi Meyers doesn't subscribe to that approach.
Earlier in the day, head coach Antonio Pierce said the rumors surrounding Adams and his desire to be traded wouldn't be a distraction, which is the typical approach for a head coach.
"No, because we're focused on Denver," Pierce said when asked about Adams being a distraction, according to Nick Walters of Channel 13 News Las Vegas.
Meyers had a different response when asked the same question, with the veteran admitting that, yes, the situation with Adams will be a distraction.
“It’s gonna be a distraction, it is what it is," Meyers said, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. "You understand that. It’s more about making plays regardless … and move forward. You just have to focus on what you’ve got, and that’s football.”
You've got to appreciate the honesty from the Raiders' new No. 1 wide receiver. We all know things are not going to be the same around the locker room in Las Vegas with everything going on, and Meyers isn't running from that.
Speaking of being the Raiders' new No. 1 wide receiver, Meyers made it clear he's ready for a bigger role, if it comes to that. Meyers also hopes to see wide receivers DJ Turner and Tre Tucker get more looks like they did last week.
“I’ve played in big moments. I’ve played and had to pull a lot of weight before," he said, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "So, until we can kind of figure out what's going on, I'm going to just keep my head down and, hopefully, we can do this together. I'm going to keep being me. That's all I can do. Whatever they bring to me, I'll be ready for it. I'll handle it like I always do. But just keep being me, for sure.”
“I hope DJ [Turner] and Tre [Tucker] touch the ball a million more times, honestly," he added. "That was good to see. I was happy for them, and they deserved it.”
In a situation that has been filled with dishonesty in terms of what Adams has said about wanting to remain with the Raiders when he clearly did not, it was good to see someone keep it real. Hats off to Jakobi, who is stepping up as a leader when Las Vegas needs him to.
