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Entering a critical stretch on the schedule, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels yielded the floor at a team meeting on Thursday to players, allowing them to voice the frustrations that at times have bubbled over publicly during the team's 3-4 start to the season, per sources.
Superstars Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby and Josh Jacobs were among the players who spoke up in the meeting, sources say. But players from every area of the roster took their turn, at times in a very passionate fashion, and addressed a variety of issues with nothing being off limits.
Sources familiar with the meeting say players roundly viewed it as cathartic -- a much-needed opportunity to get things off their chest and reset emotionally before the team travels to Detroit for a big Monday night game against the Lions.
Last week's 30-12 loss to the Bears snapped the Raiders' two-game winning streak and dropped them three games back of first-place Kansas City in the AFC West standings. But Las Vegas remains very much alive in the playoff picture, just one game back of a wild-card spot with 10 games to go.
The meeting came with rumors swirling days before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. The Raiders have had trade calls surrounding receiver Hunter Renfrow for weeks, but no deal is imminent, per sources. They've also received calls on Adams and Crosby, who would command massive trade compensation in any potential deal, but their answer has been an emphatic no.
Adams was particularly vocal about his own frustration earlier this month, saying in part of his lack of opportunities in an offense that ranks 30th in scoring: "I'm not here just to hang out. I came here to win and to do it the right way."
Asked during an interview on Friday's The Rich Eisen Show if he's happy in Las Vegas, Adams said: "I will say this: I am happy to be a Raider 100%. … Winning makes everything much more fun, so we've just got to do more of that."
