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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce deflected questions in his weekly news conference Wednesday about reports of All-Pro receiver Davante Adams‘ trade request and the Raiders’ willingness to deal him.
“Davante’s dealing with a hamstring,” Pierce said of Adams, who missed Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns with the injury.
“He’s rehabbing, and the rest of us are focused on Denver.”
With the Raiders (2-2) playing at the Denver Broncos (2-2) on Sunday, Pierce was asked if Adams would be in the facility on Wednesday.
“He’s supposed to be rehabbing,” Pierce said.
Asked about his verified Instagram account liking a post from Sports Illustrated two days earlier (the like was later removed) wondering if Adams had played his final game with Las Vegas, Pierce said, “Yeah, I’m just focused on Denver.”
Pierce was later asked where his relationship is with Adams and Pierce said, “Me and Davante talk often.”
The last time he spoke with Adams?
“I’ll leave that between me and Davante,” Pierce said.
At the top of Adams’ trade wish list are the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as Adams would want to reunite with a quarterback he played with in the past — Aaron Rodgers, for eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and Derek Carr, in college at Fresno State and for a season with the Raiders.
Adams really has had only Carr and Rodgers as his quarterbacks since high school. But since Carr was benched and later released by Las Vegas after the 2022 season, Adams has caught passes from Jarrett Stidham, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Still, Pierce insisted he and the team were focused on Denver.
“It starts with me, because that’s my only focus,” Pierce said. “I get paid here to get ready each and every week for the opponent. I don’t blink. I don’t flinch. I don’t know, I’ve said it before, I’ve been through enough of my life with adversity and stuff that it doesn’t bother me. I just move forward.
“The next obstacle in front of me is the Denver Broncos, and that’s what I presented to my team and that’s what they’re doing right now in the meeting room. We’re about to go out to practice and do it versus the Broncos.”
The tone Pierce, who took over as interim coach last Nov. 1 and was hired full time in January, is trying to set this week, then?
“Business as usual, just got to keep rolling,” he said. “This is the NFL, things come up every day. Since I’ve taken over this job, it’s been obstacles. This is another one.”