Davante Adams has experienced his fair share of instability over the past year.
Traded midseason from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets, the star wide receiver has seen front-office shakeups on both coasts. When Jets general manager Joe Douglas was fired on Tuesday, Adams was not caught off guard.
“It’s surprising, but it’s not, just because you know the way this game goes,” Adams said on Up and Adams Wednesday. “When games aren’t being won and things don’t look the way they were intended to look, something’s gotta change.”
Adams has become all too familiar with organizational overhauls. Last season, while in Las Vegas, he witnessed the Raiders dismiss both head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler. This year, he joined the Jets just a week after they parted ways with head coach Robert Saleh on October 8.
The Jets’ struggles have persisted since Adams’ arrival. The team has gone 1-5 in the six games since acquiring him, including a disheartening home loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. Still, Adams recognizes the cyclical nature of accountability in the NFL.
“I wasn’t technically here yet for the head coaching change, but going through that in Vegas, when things aren’t working, typically things get moved around,” Adams explained. “You gotta adjust some furniture… They’ve got to place the blame or put accountability on somebody, and oftentimes it winds up on the coach and the management, and that’s kinda how the cookie crumbles.”
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For Adams, the firing of Douglas and the ongoing shakeups within the Jets’ organization are not his to judge. “It’s not for me to say whether it’s the right thing to do or not,” Adams said. “I’m just getting here and still learning about the way things work in this building. I’m not here to talk about whether or not it was supposed to happen. I’m just saying it’s typically how it goes.”
Despite the turmoil, Adams remains steadfast in his decision to join the Jets, particularly given the chance to reunite with Aaron Rodgers. “No, I don’t live my life like that,” he said when asked if he regretted the trade. “Hindsight’s always 20-20. For me, it’s about going with my gut in my life, and that’s how I make my decisions. I live with them.”
Adams emphasized the calculated nature of his decision, driven in part by the opportunity to play alongside Rodgers, even if the season hasn’t unfolded as planned. “This isn’t like taking some crazy gamble going somewhere with some rookie that’s unproven,” Adams said. “Neither of us have played as good as we’re capable of playing, but when you’re rolling the dice, you’d hope that it’s favoring you more.”
With the Jets sitting at 3-8 and Douglas in the final year of his contract, the timing of the GM’s dismissal feels more symbolic than transformative. Adams likened the move to “rearranging patio furniture in New Jersey as winter approaches.”
The real intrigue lies in what the Jets’ offseason will bring. Adams, Rodgers, and other key veterans will face uncertain futures as the team evaluates its next steps in what could be a deep rebuild heading into 2025. For now, Adams remains focused on doing what he can to help right the ship in a season marred by inconsistency.
The wide receiver’s grounded outlook is a testament to his veteran presence, even amid chaotic circumstances. While the Jets’ season has been far from the success story he might have envisioned, Adams continues to bet on himself and his ability to adapt.
“I live with my decisions,” Adams reiterated. “We’ll roll the dice and see what happens.” As the Jets move forward into an offseason filled with questions, one certainty remains: Adams will keep fighting to make an impact, no matter the circumstances.