“I’ve never been encouraged to speak up and share my feelings with the organization like I have with [McDaniels and Ziegler]. I felt that from that first time that I got the call from them right after getting traded, that that’s the type of environment I’d be coming into,” Adams said. “Just based off what they heard about me. The respect they have for things I’ve done on the field. And I try to give that respect back.
“Obviously, sometimes things get said and taken out of context, like I said. It’s never my intention to bring any type of negative attention or throw off the focus of the team or whatever. Which did not happen, by the way. We got a lot of guys in here that know me well by this point and know my intentions and know I just want to win. I’m here to win the Super Bowl like everybody else is on their team. That’s really my only focus.
If it reads like an about-face, well, it kind of is. But at minimum, Adams is quelling any concerns by tamping down rumblings of discontent two months before he embarks on his first season with Garoppolo as his quarterback (provided Garoppolo is ready for camp).
It’s a wise business decision made by a player who already admitted he isn’t trying to force his way out. Adams knows what he signed up for in Las Vegas, and after letting it slip he might not agree with everything the Raiders are doing, he’s making amends, even if it comes with an explanation — pinning the blame on a lack of context — that is all too familiar.
Consider the air cleared. Adams isn’t going to worry about it, anyway.
“The thing is with me, I’m unapologetically me,” he said. “At the end of the day, I truly do not care what people have to say. So when I’m clearing things up and talking about this stuff, a lot of times it’s me protecting other people that were involved. Like I don’t ever want Jimmy to feel a way, think that I didn’t want him here, or that I don’t like him. I don’t want Josh to feel like — you know, I post a picture with [Ziegler] — and then they’re like, ‘Oh is it Josh that he’s — that must be the real problem!’
“So, y’all can do that. If you’re that bored, like, go play Monopoly or some s—.”