How Close Is Davante Adams to the Raiders Receiving Records?

The Raiders have been trying to get an elite wide receiver for a long, long time. Before they selected Henry Ruggs in the first round of the 2020 draft, before they traded for Antonio Brown before the 2019 season, before they took Amari Cooper in the first round of the 2015 draft or Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round of the 2009 draft, and even before they traded for Randy Moss back in in 2005, this is a team that has always defined itself with top-tier receiving talent. Al Davis was so essential in the development of the deep passing game, and he always had a penchant for speedsters or dynamic playmakers. So when the Las Vegas Raiders traded for All-Pro Davante Adams in the off-season, it seemed like they had finally found their guy.

But Raider Nation had been scorned before. None of the players I just mentioned had a second contract as a Raider, and the only one that provided consistent production was Amari Cooper. There were whispers of “Rodgers made Adams” and “he won’t be able to produce with Carr” all summer long. But as we barrel towards the holidays, Davante has put those rumors to bed. While Aaron Rodgers is having the worst year of his career, Davante Adams is averaging just about 100 yards and a score every game.

Through 12 games, Davante Adams has caught 79 passes for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s on pace to end the season with not one, not two, but all three of the big single season receiving records. If he maintains this pace of six catches, 98 yards, and a score per game, he’ll end the season with 112 catches, 1,666 yards, and 17 touchdowns. What kind of pace will he have to keep, and in which games should each record fall? Keep reading.

How Close Is Davante Adams to the Raiders Receiving Records?

Receptions

Current Record: Darren Waller, 2020, 107
Davante as of this writing: 79

I know a record is a record, but I still prefer that they fall in 16 games. The three gentlemen who hold the Raider records all accomplished their feats in 16 games. Currently, Adams averages 6.6 receptions per game, and as he’s trailing Waller by 28 catches, he could catch Waller in week seventeen against the San Francisco 49ers.

Yards

Current Record: Tim Brown, 1997, 1,408
Davante as of this writing: 1,176

With Adams averaging 98 yards a game and trailing Hall of Famer Tim Brown by 232 yards, he should knock this one down in the next three weeks, if not even sooner. As long as Derek Carr keeps targeting Adams… and he has no reason to stop, the best receiver in football should actually hit a career high in yards this season.

Touchdowns

Current Record: Art Powell, 1963, 16
Davante as of this writing: 12

This one feels like a gimme. Adams is only trailing Powell by four scores, and he’s been scoring a lot lately. At his current pace of a score per game, he’ll catch Powell before we even get to week 18. And that leads me to a point I’ve been holding off on.

Because while Adams has been phenomenal all season, he’s really come into his own as the Raiders offense has discovered it’s identity. Over the last five games, Adams has been unstoppable, averaging 13 catches for 133 yards and a score. If you spread that pace over a full season, Adams is catching 139 balls for 2,258 yards and 24 touchdowns, the latter two of which would be NFL records. At this blistering pace, I believe all three records fall before the Raiders suit up against their former neighbors.