Raiders star fires back at former NFL WR’s claims: ‘That’s not reality’

Raiders star Davante Adams fired back Wednesday at recent claims by former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson that Adams is unhappy with the organization.

“Whatever has been put out there lately is complete BS,” Adams said. “I’ve never talked to DeSean Jackson about one thing so I don’t know why (he would say that). I didn’t see the interview, so I don’t know if it’s even a real quote, but in terms of me being upset or not happy in this organization, it’s just a bunch of BS meant to throw everybody off and get clickbait.

“If I was pissed off, I wouldn’t be here right now. Whatever you get from my mouth is what it is. And I don’t think you guys are standing here in front of me getting the vibe I want to leave this place and if you do, you’re just feeding into the (expletive) they are feeding you and that’s not reality.”

Adams said he has only met Jackson a few times. Jackson played for the Raiders in 2021, a year before the team traded for Adams.

Adams said the two never had the kind of in-depth conversation that would give Jackson insight on his current state of mind.

“I’ve never spoken to him about anything like that,” Adams said. “The only person I ever really talk to about my feelings in general is my wife and she’s not out there leaking anything and dropping stuff like that in the media. Whatever you see, if it ain’t from the horse’s mouth, it’s probably (expletive).”

Jackson made the comments during an appearance on the talk show “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” last week. Jackson said the Raiders will have a tough season because they didn’t secure a franchise quarterback.

“This one is tough because me and Davante, we have talked and I hate to do it because I do not want to be the guy that is like, ‘Oh, D-Jax said this and said that,’ but at the end of the day, he isn’t happy,” Jackson said. “This year, I mean, where are you going to get your production from? Are you believing in (quarterback) Gardner (Minshew) like that? … (Adams) does not really want to be all in the media, going crazy and stuff like that. But you could see sometimes in the games, he is getting very frustrated.”

Bowers returns

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers returned to practice Wednesday.

“I was missing being out on the field with all the guys so it was good to be back out there,” Bowers said. “I’m here to play football and that’s all I want to do. So not being out there really sucked.”

Bowers, the 13th overall pick in April’s draft, missed several weeks of practice because of a foot injury. Coach Antonio Pierce has said Bowers’ absence has been largely precautionary. Pierce added the team was in some ways protecting Bowers from himself because he wanted to rush back too soon.

“I like to be out there, so I guess there’s a little bit of truth to that,” Bowers said, smiling.

Bowers, who was officially listed as a limited participant on the Raiders’ injury report, expects to play Sunday. He said conditioning is his largest hurdle.

“I was working out hard every day trying to keep that part of it up as much as I could while trying to stay off my feet, too,” Bowers said. “Trying to stay in shape was probably the hardest part because you can’t run. Hopped on the bike and did some stuff in the pool.”

Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, also returned to practice Wednesday in a limited capacity. He was out several weeks with a knee injury.

Injury report

Rookie cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) was the only other Raiders player listed as a limited participant Wednesday.

Offensive tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder), linebacker Robert Spillane (back), defensive lineman Tyree Wilson (foot) and long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer (abdomen) were all full participants.

On the Chargers’ side, quarterback Justin Herbert was not listed on the injury report despite missing more than two weeks of training camp with a foot injury. He’s been practicing since Aug. 19.

Herbert told reporters Wednesday he is healthy, but declined to discuss the specifics of his injury.

Wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (hip) did not practice for the Chargers.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.