Mark Davis has been a Raider for as long as he can remember, long before he took over as principal owner following the passing of his legendary father. And he’s seen a lot.
Which is why this week’s blockbuster trade to send Davante Adams to the Jets elicited plenty of emotions personally and essentially a shrug football-wise.
Speaking during a quiet moment following the Fall League Meeting in Atlanta, Davis told NFL.com on Tuesday that he wouldn’t consider this a hard week, despite moving on from an All-Pro whose original trade from the Packers brought such high hopes.
“Because I’m used to it,” Davis said. “I’ve grown up in this sport. There is the business side of the building and the football side of the building. The football side is tough love, man. I’ve seen my best friend … Cliff Branch, he had to retire. I’ve seen all of these guys, at some point in time they said I’ve got to hang it up or this or that. You get really tough, thick skin.”
After sending a first- and second-round pick to the Packers for Adams in March 2022, the plan was for then-head coach Josh McDaniels, then-GM Dave Ziegler, and Adams’ best friend Derek Carr to find the kind of success any team would want. None of it went according to plan.
Now, all parties are gone.
With his hamstring now healthy, Adams should play plenty for the Jets this week, with a familiar system and his good friend Aaron Rodgers at QB. Adams restructured his current contract for 2024, but left the 2025 and 2026 contract years (worth $35.64 million each year) alone.
For him to stay on the Jets next year, those will have to be reworked -- allowing Adams a say in what happens in 2025 and beyond. Those will be decisions for another day.
While Davis declined to explain what went wrong to lead to a trade, saying those were football decisions, he did state: “Unfortunate it didn’t work out. Only way I can sum it up.”
Davis was close with Adams, as he was one of the leaders Davis would speak with while trying to gain a sense of the locker room and the general feel of the players. Josh Jacobs (now with the Packers) and Maxx Crosby were also among the others.
But the football side dictated a trade, thanks mostly to Adams informing the team he preferred to play elsewhere and that he wanted to play for the Jets, and this week’s wild activity was the result. It also has led to speculation about Crosby, though sources say the Raiders have not received calls on him. And even if they did, a potential trade sounds like that’s a non-starter.
Talking to The Athletic this week, Davis answered the rumors in a way he rarely does.
“My basic thing is never to answer all that stuff because, otherwise, you get trapped in this black hole,” Davis told the outlet before saying: “It’s just not happening.”
As far as Adams goes, Davis said he’ll speak with GM Tom Telesco and his staff, while also talking to members of Antonio Pierce’s coaching staff. But he leaves them to make the decisions.
“Listen, I’ll consult with them, I’ll devil’s advocate,” Davis told NFL.com. “But they make the decisions. They’re authorized to make the decisions.”
Few more impactful than this week. Adams’ situation was a saga, with his hamstring injury, a win over the Browns, a trade request, then weeks of uncertainty.
Davis was asked how the locker room handled the departure of one of its best players.
“You’d have to be inside the locker room and you’d understand what the message is,” Davis said. “You’d have to ask them. But I’m confident that there are no issues. Yeah, I know the players are OK with it.”