Earlier this week, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly requested a trade amid an increasingly uneasy relationship with head coach Antonio Pierce. Now, Adams has decided to get cryptic about where he is going to end up, dropping some gothic-style hints on social media.
On Friday, Adams posted a photo of poet and author Edgar Allen Poe on his Instagram story. He soon followed it up with a quote from Poe: “Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see.”
The quote is from a short story called “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether,” about a man who visits a mental hospital in the south of France. The story was published by Poe in 1845; it is unlikely that the story’s content is related to Adams’ trade destination plans.
Though it’ impossible to know the exact intention behind these clues, it’s likely that Adams is pointing to a trade to the Baltimore Ravens: Poe died in Baltimore and is buried there. Additionally, one of Poe’s most famous works is his poem “The Raven,” also published in 1845.
The Ravens are one of several potential landing spots for the 32-year-old receiver. Reportedly, Adams was most interested in heading to either the New York Jets or the New Orleans Saints due to his familiarity with those teams’ quarterbacks.
Some Jets fans are holding out hope that the gothic poet could point to Adams landing in New York instead: Poe lived in The Bronx for a few years prior to his death in 1849.
Adams is currently questionable with a hamstring injury sustained last week, missing the Raiders’ Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Given the injury and that the trade is up in the air, it is unlikely that Adams will play for the Raiders this coming Sunday as they take on the Denver Broncos.