There’s always some preseason drama when it comes to veteran players. In his own words, Davante Adams from the Raiders mentioned that he hasn’t played a preseason snap since 2016. However, under the new head coaching regime, Antonio Pierce has taken it upon himself to fix that. Coaches can use their discretion to play their starters for however long during the preseason, though most starters don’t play for more than a couple of series in preseason games.

In a press conference on August 14, Pierce was asked: “You said starters will play this week. Davante, last night, said he’d choose not to if it was up to him. Will there be a conversation or do you think that at this point in his career, it would be up to him?”

As reported by Raiders on YouTube, the coach responded, “No, if you’re healthy, you’ll play.”

In fact, the team played their starters in their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings for a significant time. Rest was left to the young players and roster hopefuls.

The Las Vegas Raiders went toe to toe against the Vikings but lost 24-23. The team missed the presence of OT Kolton Miller and WR Davante Adams in the game. Miller missed the game due to sickness, while Adams missed the game because of a couple of reasons. What are the reasons?

Firstly, there is a sense of complacency behind Adams missing the game; Mostly because he is reunited with Luke Getsy, the former QB coach and pass game coordinator at the Green Bay Packers. Getsy enters his first season as offensive coordinator with the Raiders in 2024.

Getsy, Adams, and the Green Bay offense in Getsy’s days had earned a reputation for being one of the most explosive offenses in the league. But that’s not all.

Luke Getsy was the Packers’ WR coach back in the 2016-17 season and under him, Davante Adams’ career started taking flight. The WR was 3 yards short of having a 1k season in 2016! That’s how important his coaching was for Adams. Both left the Packers after the 2021 season when the WR was at the peak of his career, having amassed 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns in that season.

So, Adams has a pretty good feel for Getsy’s offense, but there’s another reason Davante Adams was not at the preseason game.

Davante Adams chose family time because of one big reason!

Davante Adams might need some time with his family because his wife gave birth recently. The 31-year-old left the team on Aug. 2 to be with his wife. So, it has been away for nearly two weeks now.

However, the Raiders wideout showed up to practice on Tuesday, the first time since July 31. “If I’m choosing, I’m not playing,” said Adams of missing the preseason.

“Obviously, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do when it comes to family and, obviously, your children, but anytime you have to miss some time during camp at this point in the year, it’s not the most comfortable feeling,” said Adams, who was with the team for the first six practices in Costa Mesa, California. He missed the final five sessions and their preseason opener at Minnesota. But he was watching them from home.

He is now back but made sure to make things easier for his wife. “I got my healthy baby boy at home and the rest of the kids there. So, we got a full house and a lot of help and support around us to make sure I can lock in when we’re in the [Raiders] building, too,” he shared.

The Raiders are busy installing a new offense in the system and Adams might want to be there when it culminates. As far as preseason games are concerned, a player of his caliber might get away with missing them. Nevertheless, we can feast our eyes on Adams’ performance if Pierce’s comments are anything to go by.

What do you make of his comments on the wide receiver? Let us know in the comments section below.