WWJD #36: Carr to Adams as Raiders?

WWJD #36: Carr to Adams as Raiders?

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For the past couple weeks a lot has been said about Raiders quarterback Derek Carr trying to recruit Packers wide receiver Davante Adams to Las Vegas if he hits the Free Agent market next offseason.

 

The public courting of Adams by Carr started when the former Fresno State quarterback was talking with Fresno ABC 30 reporter Bri Mellon.

“I’ve learned in this business, you never shut the door on anything,” Carr said via ABC30’s Bri Mellon in late June.

“I know that he’s (Adams is) obviously the best receiver — everyone said one of the best, he’s the best receiver in the NFL. The guy is unbelievable. He’s been one of my best friends since we were in college together. I love the guy.

“I would always welcome to play with him again. I think it would unlock some things in both of us that people haven’t seen yet. I’m always open to that, and I will be recruiting very hard. When that time comes, it will be a full-court press.”

Carr and Adams played together at Fresno State.

“You stirred something up, you stirred something up with that one, yes,” Adams told Mellon a couple of days later on July 1st. “I mean, I can’t have too many thoughts on it right now, but I’ll just continue to be me and let this thing kind of work itself out and see what happens.”

“Obviously, I love Derek to death. We have had a great friendship and still communicate really, really consistently. He’s one of my best friends, so obviously, it would be a dream to be able to play with, but I’m a Packer now until the point where we make that decision. We’ll see what happens.”

“On the field, he brought out the best in me,” Adams said. “First year in college, he’s the one who started the whole Tae thing. People didn’t call me Tae until I got to Fresno State, so he got that going, and I think as soon as I got there, we kind of hit it off.

“Even though I redshirted, he was throwing me balls and telling other people to back up, and you know, I’m not even playing the whole year, and he’s trying to get some reps in knowing what could potentially be coming, you know in the future for us.”

 

How likely is it to happen?

 

This is a tough one to really gauge. Adams is the NFL’s best wide receiver right now, and the Packers are attempting to lock him into a new contract that would make him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The Packers don’t allow elite players in their prime to walk away. They normally lock them up, especially players that they need, and the Packers need Adams.

But as any football fan knows, this has not been a typical offseason for Green Bay. Their leader and quarterback, 3-time NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers, is unhappy with the organization’s hierarchy and wants to be traded, or he has threatened to hold out, or some speculate, possibly retire. The Packers have been dealing with his situation while trying to conduct business as usual. But the relationship between Rodgers and Adams is as close as one can be between teammates, even rivaling Carr and Adams friendship. Some speculate that it could impact Adams’ decision to sign that long-term deal to remain in Green Bay.

If Rodgers were to retire (or be traded away), the Packers would have to do everything to make sure Adams remains in Green Bay to become the leader of the offense and give Jordan Love a trusted weapon. If Rodgers stays, even if it is for just one season, the Packers will want to have Adams in the fold for at least the next 5 years, easing any transition to Love and helping the team compete for another Super Bowl title.

Players don’t tie their futures into other players, so I don’t take too much credence in, “If Rodgers leaves, Adams leaves too.” Players have a limited time to cash in on their talents, and only a select few can be the highest-paid at their position. Would Adams risk losing money by choosing not to sign a long-term deal making him the highest-paid receiver because Rodgers is no longer there or is leaving? I doubt that.

On the flip side, maybe Adams also shares Rodgers viewpoint and is willing to create a bidding war between the team Rodgers goes to (if he doesn’t retire) and the Raiders led by Carr. Maybe playing with Carr in Las Vegas means more to Tae than being the highest-paid player at his position and remaining in Green Bay.

 

But who is to say Carr will be the quarterback after next season in Las Vegas?

 

Before you get on your soapbox, I will explain. Also, please keep in mind that I have stated publicly that I have no issue with Carr and feel he most definitely isn’t the problem for the Raiders. He has solidified the Raiders’ quarterback position since Rich Gannon left and gets way too much blame when things go wrong. He has been a pillar of stability for a team that hasn’t been stable and has given the team all they expected and more since they drafted him.

For the sake of this argument, though, let’s say that Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock decide that another quarterback, possibly Rodgers, would be a better option than Carr moving forward. Would that entice Adams to Las Vegas? Or, let’s say that the Raiders sign Adams and roll out with Carr in 2023 but decide that they need another trigger man leading the offense and move on from Carr then. How would Adams feel about that? Signing a long-term deal to play with your best friend, only to have him gone after a season?

I know the Raiders and Carr are talking about a possible long-term extension of their own, eliminating that scenario. Still, until it’s signed, that remains a possible scenario for Adams to consider.

Carr told Cris Collinsworth that the ideal scenario is for the Raiders to beat the Packers in the Super Bowl and land Adams in the offseason.

“Davante, he’s one of my best friends,” Carr told Collinsworth. “I’m gonna offer him whatever I gotta offer. I’ll buy him a car, whatever I’ve got to do, I’ll offer that man. I know he would fit in great with the receivers we have here. He would fit so well in that room. I’m allowed to say those things. Our organization isn’t, but I’m going to say it. He’s my best friend. I think he’s one of the best — he’s the best receiver in the NFL.”

“He’s focused on being a Packer, and I know that because I see how he works,” Carr said. “I know how he works, and I know how much it means to him. He’s focused on that, and I’m focused on trying to get to the Super Bowl, win the Super Bowl, hopefully, he’s in it so I can beat his butt too. That’s the plan, then recruit him over to the dark side.”

 

What do I think will happen?

 

Knowing the Packers organization as I do, anytime there is noise that they want to lock in their players to an extension, it normally happens. When there is radio silence, the player normally leaves. A perfect example of that is this past offseason with All-Pro running back Aaron Jones and All-Pro center Corey Linsley. All season long, Packers fans heard that they wanted to find a way to keep Jones for a few more years and how much they valued him. When the tampering period hit, the Packers signed Jones to an extension that makes him one of the game’s highest-paid players. As for Linsley, there wasn’t any talk of trying to keep him in Green and Gold after the season, and he was able to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers as one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL.

This is how they have conducted business for years, and for those who want Adams in Silver and Black, it is something to watch.

My gut instinct, which is based on talking to NFL sources, is telling me that Adams will remain a Packer and Carr will sign an extension with the Raiders. When teams have elite players who produce and are also high-character guys, teams don’t let them walk. Both Adams and Carr are those types of players, and their organizations know it. They won’t let them leave and will do everything they can to keep them, especially in Adams’ case.

 

But what this does tell me is that Carr and the Raiders are going for it. They feel like they are close and that their window to win is starting to open so it’s time to go “big game hunting” in hopes of bringing a Super Bowl to Sin City. In any case, I’d stay tuned to this situation since Carr is doing his best sales job to land West Side Tae.

 

Peace✌

 

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– Joe Arrigo

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