Most NFL teams can only go as far as their quarterback takes them. That’s not really a bold statement. So if the Raiders want to go deeper in the playoffs than they did last year, Derek Carr is going to need to play even better.
But outside of Carr, who is the next most valuable and most important player for the Raiders? You could make a case for Maxx Crosby, who led the NFL in pressures last year. You could also say Kolton Miller, the only proven offensive lineman for the Raiders. But the answer here is actually pretty obvious.
In a recent article by Kevin Patra of NFL.com, he named every team’s most valuable non-quarterback heading into the 2022 season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Davante Adams. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on Adams entering his first season with the Raiders:
“Adams can unlock the Raiders’ offense during Josh McDaniels’ first season in Vegas. The wideout is a matchup nightmare for corners, by beating them off the line of scrimmage, creating quick separation or burning past DBs with quick cuts. Adams leads the NFL in receptions (432) receiving yards (5,310) and receiving TDs (47) since 2018 — that’s despite missing at least one game each season.”
The Raiders gave up a ton to get Adams and they made him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. They need him to play like an All-Pro player in order to unlock the offense and keep up with teams like the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals and Chargers in the AFC.
If Adams struggles to adjust back to Derek Carr or if the Raiders are unable to find ways to correctly utilize him in the offense, the team will struggle. His success is very likely to directly correlate to wins and losses for the Raiders this season.