Busy bye weekend for Raiders’ star Davante Adams

The Raiders may have had a bye week as a team, but wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t exactly take the weekend off.

Adams was back on campus at Fresno State on Saturday night to attend his jersey retirement ceremony before returning to Las Vegas on Sunday to serve as the honorary pace car driver for the South Point 400.

He was joined by teammate and close friend Derek Carr at the first event. Carr, who played with Adams at Fresno State and had his own jersey retired in 2017, showed up with his family to honor Adams.

“He likes surprises, and he shocked me with that,” said Adams, who briefly spoke with reporters on the field after the ceremony. “I didn’t know he was coming, so to be able to come here and see my guy, even just for a minute before he had to get out of there, was amazing. … Obviously I see him every day now, but for him to make the trip really means a lot.”

According to media accounts in Fresno, Adams had been scheduled to do a news conference before the game. But he was unable to attend due to mechanical issues with his flight, and there was time for only three questions on the field after the ceremony because the third quarter was set to begin.

He was not asked about, nor did he address, the assault charges filed against him in Kansas City following last week’s game against the Chiefs when he shoved a photographer as he left the field.

The Raiders had been awaiting word on any disciplinary action from the league, but the NFL confirmed a report Sunday that indicated that decision could be delayed until after the legal process plays out in court.

That would mean Adams should be available when the Raiders host the Texans on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium as he and Carr look to build off their 124-yard, two touchdown effort in the loss to the Chiefs.

They started building that chemistry during their record-setting careers at Fresno State, and now their numbers hang next to one another in the stadium.

Adams, who wore No. 15 in college, was pleased to become the program’s ninth player to have his jersey retired.

“It means the world to me, honestly,” he said. “ I’ve put a lot of work in since dating back 10 years plus. To be able to come here and see my name up there in the company I’m in is just amazing. I don’t take this lightly. I don’t take the love I get from these fans and the Fresno State community lightly. It means a lot to me. I’m trying not to get too emotional out here because honestly, it’s a lot. But it’s an amazing feeling.”

In two collegiate seasons, Adams caught 233 passes for 3,031 yards and 38 touchdowns.

He has gone on to become one of the best receivers in the NFL over his nine seasons in the league, but he said there are moments where he starts to realize he’s no longer a kid in the game.

“Some guys come in the league saying they watched my tape growing up,” he said Saturday of younger players listing him as their favorite.. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, I don’t know about all that.’ That’s making me a little older than I really am. But it’s a great feeling. It shows I’m doing some good things to give the youth and guys in college something good to watch and something good to follow after. So that’s basically all I’m trying to do is just keep that going and keep making them proud.”

Adams returned to Las Vegas to drive the pace car for Sunday’s race and was all smiles at the event.

He even took some ribbing from driver Bubba Wallace, who posted a selfie of himself and Adams on social media.

“Got immediately shoved after this pic,” Wallace joked in the caption.

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