Once upon a Week 4 dreary, while we pondered weak and weary, Davante Adams was apparently feeling poetic. Behold!
Why yes! That is an image of American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, central figure of the Romanticism movement and noted side-part enthusiast, posted by the Raiders receiver on his Instagram Story three days after he reportedly requested a trade. It’s not necessarily what you expect to see while scrolling, though receivers are the poets of the NFL—their gripes their muses, and their posting fingers their quill and ink. Frankly, more athletes should be processing their contract-related drama through central figures in Gothic literature. I want to see a Mary Shelley reference pop up in Micah Parsons’s contract negotiations.
For now, we have Adams and Poe. But what does it mean? Who is Poe to Adams? As the author once said, believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see on a wide receiver’s Instagram. (OK, he only sort of said that.) Which I think means that half of these possible explanations will definitely turn out to be true!
Possibility no. 1: This is about “The Raven(s).”
Boring but fair. Poe was born in Boston but is most associated with Baltimore, where he spent much of his life and is now buried. His most famous poem, “The Raven,” inspired the team name of the Baltimore Ravens, and the team’s mascots are a trio of ravens named Edgar, Allan, and Poe. Adams is getting traded to the Ravens.
Possibility no. 2: This is about “The Raven,” the poem, but not the Ravens, the football team.
Adams is not getting traded to the Ravens but is merely inspired by “The Raven” as a piece of writing. You can kind of see it:
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Adams has known bleak Decembers in his time with the Raiders. The separate dying embers upon the floor could refer to incomplete passes by Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew, and Aidan O’Connell, on which Adams was not targeted.
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
This couplet perhaps mirrors Adams’s attitude when approaching Raiders owner Mark Davis to request the trade. The haircut can be misleading.
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
In the most enduring line of “The Raven,” the brooding, mysterious bird perched above Poe’s chamber door will say–will quoth–just one word: “Nevermore.” Which is sort of like making a trade request.
Possibility no. 3: Other works of Poe.
Let’s not accuse Davante Adams of being a surface-level student of 19th-century literature! His post could be not a reference to “The Raven” but to one of Poe’s short stories, like “The Cask of Amontillado,” in which a man, angry with a friend he believes has insulted him, lures him into a catacomb with the promise of fine sherry, only to entomb him there. This could either be a sign that Adams is slowly being driven mad by the sound of the still-beating heart of the man he buried alive (Garoppolo) or that he is seeking to trap Antonio Pierce in a wine cellar and/or commit unspeakable crimes.
Or perhaps Adams is referencing “The Black Cat,” a short story that tells the story of a man who mangles his black cat and winds up haunted and having to live with the consequences. (He also murders his wife.) This would obviously be a reference to the Carolina Panthers.
Possibility no. 4: The other Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe shares a last name with Dontari Poe, a former nose tackle who was most famous for his time playing in Kansas City. Adams is getting traded to the Chiefs.
Possibility no. 5: The other Allan/Allen.
Edger Allan Poe’s middle name is very close to the last name of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Adams is getting traded to the Bills.
Possibility no. 6: Adams is trolling.
Shortly after posting the photo of Poe in his stories, Adams posted the famous quote paraphrased above: “Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see.” Adams is leading followers to take the obvious read of his first post, then telling them they’re wrong and he’s messing with them. Adams is being traded to the Jets.
Possibility no. 7: This is about people who marry their cousins.
Poe was married for 11 years to his first cousin Virginia Clemm. The former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, also married his cousin. Adams is being traded to the Jets. (Side note: It remains very funny that the Ravens’ name is inspired by an eccentric poet who married his cousin and wrote stories mostly about death, guilt, and treachery.)
Possibility no. 8: This is about a haircut.
Adams is not referencing football but is mood boarding for his next trip to the barbershop. Look at that flow!
Possibility no. 9: This is chess, not checkers.
Adams had to spend part of his week answering questions about a post Pierce liked on Instagram, and he’s retaliating by creating a new social-media-fueled news cycle with a literary bent.
In conclusion, reading is fun and receivers are dramatic. Here’s hoping Adams can post a Lord Byron reference before quoth the Raiders, “Nevermore.”
