In a way, we all should've seen this coming; the writing was on the wall.

The Raiders took the league by surprise, finalizing a blockbuster deal on Friday for the talents of five-time Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams.

It's a move that makes an already loaded Las Vegas offense look even more promising heading into this season, and while a lot of people may have been shocked by the trade, when you look closely at the situation, there were plenty of signs this could happen.

Exhibit A: Bay connections

First and foremost, the Raiders were Davante Adams' hometown team.

Adams is homegrown talent from The Bay, who grew up near Palo Alto, less than an hour away from Oakland. After high school, he committed to Fresno State University, roughly 180 miles south of Oakland.

Once he became a Bulldog, he became linked to the next (and most obvious) clue.

Exhibit B: DC

Davante Adams' quarterback at Fresno State was – have you heard this before? – Derek Carr.

And when they played together at Fresno State, they were the best at their level in college football.

Literally the best.

In their two seasons together, Adams led the FBS in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns while Carr led the FBS in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The formidable tandem also led the Bulldogs to the inaugural Mountain West Conference Championship.

Their chemistry on the field was fueled by a genuine friendship, and their brotherhood off of it has lasted through the eight seasons in the pros. With Adams' contract coming to an end in Green Bay, it led to speculation about the two teaming back up again – which they both blatantly entertained.

"Obviously, I love Derek to death," Adams told a Fresno news affiliate last June. "We got a great friendship, and we still communicate really consistently. He's one of my best friends, so obviously, it'd be a dream to be able to play with him."

"I said I'm gonna full-court press the guy when he's a free agent. There's no doubt," Carr said in response to Adams comments. "I'll buy him a car. Whatever I gotta do. He'd fit in so well with our guys."

Now with Adams coming to Las Vegas, let's begin to speculate which vehicle Carr is on the hook to purchase.

Exhibit C: Edgar Bennett

Carr isn't the only companion Adams has on the Raiders. He'll also have a man by his side that helped him develop into the receiver he is now: Edgar Bennett.

Bennett, the Raiders wide receivers coach, was Adams' receiver coach and offensive coordinator in Green Bay from 2014-17. When Adams was drafted by the Packers in the second round, they had lofty expectations for him that didn't immediately pan out. After his first two seasons with Bennett, Adams had four touchdowns and a little less than 1,000 receiving yards.

Then, in 2016, everything changed.

In Bennett's last two seasons with Adams as his offensive coordinator, Adams accumulated 1,882 receiving yards and 22 receiving touchdowns. In 2017, Adams led the Packers in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns – and continued to do so every season leading up to this trade. When asked about the progress of Adams in 2015, Bennett knew he had a star on his hands, if Adams could routinely be consistent.

"It always goes back to fundamentals, doing it the right way every single time," Bennett said at the time. "And it always goes back to how we practice. The opportunities that he gets at practice, we practice how we play. That's the bottom line. We've got to continue to do it on a daily basis on the practice field, and it will show up on Sundays."

Exhibit D: Adams' personal Twitter account

Davante Adams isn't big on social media. He's notably considered as someone that enjoys to work in silence and let the results speak for themselves.

However, a few tweets these last few months could've risen some eyebrows. His very last tweet from January was a retweet from his alma mater that included Carr.

Nothing too suspect about that, as Adams has been known to tweet out stuff about his prided Bulldogs occasionally. However two tweets before that he gave a cryptic message regarding one of his new teammates that he'll now line up alongside in Hunter Renfrow.

I'm not one to decode hidden Twitter meanings, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say Adams thinks Renfrow's game is "ill." And with the 2021 Pro Bowlers lined up together after both having over 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yard seasons, they're probably going to make a few NFL secondaries sick to their stomachs.

Exhibit E: That House

One of the most fascinating pieces of evidence comes out of an intriguing tweet about Adams' new place of residency.

A few weeks ago, Vital Vegas, an independent Las Vegas blog, tweeted about Adams purchasing a home in Southern Nevada. The tweet caused a bit of confusion and controversy among NFL circles, with bloggers and beat reporters wondering whether there was any truth to it.

Besides, even if it was true, people buy property in Las Vegas all the time – it's Vegas. The up-and-coming Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World is not the worst place to have a nice vacation home.

However, shortly after news broke regarding the Adams trade, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Adams did indeed buy a house in Las Vegas.

And guess who his new neighbor is?

In conclusion, Your Honor...

No doubt a large portion of Raider Nation have dreamed about Adams one day putting on the Silver and Black. All the evidence was there, but in the world of NFL rumors, when there is smoke there isn't necessarily fire. After all, Adams is in the prime of his career and a record holder for the Green Bay Packers.

But when it came down to it, Dave Ziegler, Josh McDaniels and Champ Kelly put together a master plan to secure one of the best wide receivers in the NFL to play with a quarterback with which he has proven chemistry.

And if anything goes according to plan, Adams will be a part of a ridiculously talented nucleus that includes Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.

I rest my case.