Can Gardner Minshew keep star WR Davante Adams happy with the Raiders?

Gardner Minshew emerged from the quarterback battle with Aidan O’Connell during Las Vegas Raiders training camp as the slow starter.

And through two games, Minshew has shown glimpses of a QB who can extend plays with his feet. In Week 2, he helped lead the Raiders to a stunning win over the Baltimore Ravens on the road to even their record at 1-1.

Minshew is tied for second in the NFL with 533 passing yards and leads the league in completion percentage (77.5%). He tried to keep things simple, finding pass-rushers like Davante Adams and tight end Brock Bowers more often and feeding them the ball.

Adams had nine catches for 110 yards on 10 targets last week against the Ravens, with most of his production coming in the fourth quarter as the Raiders rallied from a 10-point deficit. Adams had four catches for 86 yards in the final quarter and also drew a critical pass interference penalty in the end zone that led to the game-tying score. The Raiders’ 26-23 victory snapped a 49-game losing streak when they trailed by 10-plus points in the fourth quarter.

After Adams’ big game, Minshew and the Raiders need to figure out how to keep the veteran receiver happy. After pairing with Aaron Rodgers for eight years in Green Bay, Adams has caught passes to five different QBs since joining the Raiders in the 2022 trade: Derek Carr, Jarrett Stidham, Jimmy Garoppolo, O’Connell and now Minshew .

During the offseason, trade speculation involving Adams was all over the league due to the team’s struggles and title instability. Back in July, Adams’ representatives tried to shut down talk that the six-time Pro Bowler was unhappy with the Raiders, saying it was untrue and that he expected to stay with the team in 2024.

Adams confirmed that report just before the regular season.

“As far as being upset or unhappy with this organization, it’s a bunch of BS meant to throw everyone off and get clickbait,” Adams told reporters. “Everybody wants to see what Davante Adams has to say, that he’s upset in Vegas.

“If I was angry, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Adams, 31, has two years left on his contract after this season worth more than $35 million a year, none of which is guaranteed.

As the Raiders continue their rebuilding process, could head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco look to trade Adams before the Nov. 5? He could be very valuable to a contending team, like his former teammate Rodgers and the New York Jets.

Or Mike Tomlin and the amazing Pittsburgh Steelers.

Or Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers.

Or Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

The Raiders are paying Adams among the top receivers in the league, so they could use him as much as they can — or find another team that will take advantage of his unique skill set.

Since arriving in Las Vegas in 2022, Adams has 11 games with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, second in the league. And his 23 touchdowns since joining the Raiders leads the league.

For now, it’s up to Minshew to keep Adams happy. The journeyman QB has certainly been imperfect. He has been fired nine times. Against Baltimore, he threw a head-scratching cross late in the first half that led to an interesting conversation with team leader Maxx Crosby on the sidelines.

“It was great,” Minshew told reporters this week. “He grabbed me and just said, ‘Hey, we got your back, man. We need that Gardner from Washington State. We need that.’ And I was like, ‘Man, you’re right, dude. Let me see if I can take a quick shower.’

Crosby’s pep talk must have helped. In the second half, Minshew was 16 of 22 for 212 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, posting a 118 passer rating. The Raiders scored 20 points in the half, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

Entering the season, Pierce planned to rely on a strong defense and a ground-and-pound offense. So far, defenses have stagnated, allowing just 17.2 points per game since Pierce took over as head coach in Week 9 last season, second in the NFL. The defense has been even better at home, allowing a league-low 14.4 points per contest.

The running game, however, has been abysmal, as Las Vegas is averaging a career-low 49 yards per carry this season. Against Baltimore, the Raiders abandoned the ineffective running game in favor of a quick passing game, which proved to be effective against a shaky Baltimore defense that finished with five sacks on the day.

Getting the ball out quickly is important for Minshew. According to Next Gen Stats, he is 28 of 30 passing for 164 yards and a touchdown without an interception when throwing the ball in 2.5 seconds or less.

That means Gardner has to trust what he sees. And if Adams is in man coverage, the QB has to get him the ball early so that one of the best receivers in the game can make a big play.

“Just throw him the ball when he’s by himself,” Minshew said. “That guy makes you stand up. And I mean a few times getting pass interference, that’s a big play for our offense. So, being able to give him opportunities to get his hands on the ball is going to be huge for us.”

The Raiders also got Adams a talented wing man in Bowers, whose 15 receptions for 156 yards were the most by a rookie through his first three games in the regular season. Adams and Bowers give the Raiders a versatile pass-catching tandem to build the offense around.

It’s up to Minshew to do that job as long as Adams stays on the roster.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, including Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers of ESPN and Seattle Seahawks of the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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