Raiders might be freezing Davante Adams out of offense decades after doing the same thing to Marcus Allen

Adams' situation is eerily similar to Allen's

Over 30 years ago, then-Raiders owner Al Davis handcuffed star running back Marcus Allen to the point where Allen eventually forced his way out of town. The same thing could be happening now with Davis' son, Mark Davis, and Raiders star wideout Davante Adams. 

Adams' situation is eerily similar to Allen's, a Hall of Fame player who found himself in the doghouse with Davis for reasons that were never revealed. Allen and others have long thought that Davis was threatened by Allen's stardom and thought that he was becoming bigger than the Raiders. Whatever the reason was, Davis decided to bench Allen during several of his prime seasons. Allen, desperate to play, eventually volunteered to play fullback, where he spent a few years blocking for Bo Jackson. 

The Raiders' recent win over the Packers was especially reminiscent of what Allen experienced. Invisible for most of the game, Adams caught three passes on the Raiders' game-winning drive. Decades earlier, with the Raiders needing a score to defeat the Cardinals, then-Los Angeles offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie put Allen into the game despite Davis' objection. Allen scored, the Raiders won the game, but the boss wasn't happy that Allen was put into the game. 

A year later, Allen had a big game while leading the Raiders to a playoff win over the Bengals, but he entered the game only after Jackson suffered what was a career-ending injury. Allen returned to the bench the ensuing two years as Davis brought in former stars Roger Craig and Eric Dickerson to replace Jackson in the starting lineup. 

Adams was diplomatic after the Packers game when asked about his lack of involvement, pointing to his recent shoulder injury while saying that that's how the game goes sometimes. But Adams sang a much different tune this week after he was targeted just five times during last week's win over the Patriots. 

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, when asked about Adams' comments, praised his star receiver but didn't offer assurances that Adams would be more involved moving forward, further suggesting that something is off. If that is the case, it could stem from Adams' comments on Oct. 9 about his situation with Las Vegas not being what he envisioned when he arrived in 2022. Ironically, Adams' involvement in the offense has taken a dip since he made those comments, starting with his four targets against Green Bay. 

Davis surely didn't like Adams' comments (what owner would?), which begs the question: did Davis tell McDaniels to limit Adams involvement? That's a pretty big leap, especially given the amount Adams is being paid and the pressures to win that every team faces. But given that there is a history of the Raiders doing this, and Adams' recent lack of involvement after his public comments, it's a valid question. 

Time will ultimately tell if Adams is actually being frozen out of the offense. But if his lack of involvement continues, rest assured that the perennial All-Pro will continue to voice his concerns publicly. That could very well lead to him being traded, just like Allen eventually was.