The Las Vegas Raiders, in particular Davante Adams, understood how important it was to retain Antonio Pierce as head coach and build off 2023’s success. Kudos to owner Mark Davis for listening to his current players for a change, but will it pay off?
People will scoff at an 8-9 record and ask about the legitimacy of making a “winning” claim. However, it really was the case with the Raiders. Just look at Netflix’s Receiver series to see how out of whack last year’s team was. If Davis hadn’t pulled the trigger on Josh McDaniels’ run as head coach, the Raiders might’ve feasibly lost double-digit games. Then Antonio Pierce happened.
Pierce got the team out of their rut by defeating New York’s two teams, but it was a roller coaster afterward. Even so, the Raiders went 3-1 in their final four games; of note, all three wins were against the AFC West. Adams, the de facto leader on offense, realized the change he witnessed more than anyone else.
While making the media rounds this week (h/t Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams), Adams recounted the aforementioned change.
“The proof is in the pudding. You see the difference when we made the change. How the players feel. How hard they played. The results you got on the field. Everything was a million times better, so I was really just trying to put the icing on the cake with the help of some other players.”
Was Davante Adams contemplating leaving the Raiders?
This week’s other trending topic was Adams’ possible desire to leave the team. His frustrations with McDaniels and then-starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo were quite obvious to any observer last year. However, prior to Pierce taking over, Adams’ future might’ve been in question, even if just for a fledgling moment. Maybe he and Maxx Crosby played a game bluff with regard to Pierce, eh?
“Maxx Crosby, we all kind of took the same approach where we kind of said, look, if he’s not gonna be here, we’re not sure about our future here, either. Just to make sure it was taken seriously and thank God it worked.”
Raiders fans are probably also thanking the man above, Davante.
*Top Photo: Getty Images