All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams will be traded by the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets, the organization announced on Tuesday.
A conditional third-round draft pick, which becomes a second-round pick if he makes the first or second team this season and is active for the AFC championship game or Super Bowl, is being sent back by the Jets.
According to ESPN, Adams changed the terms of his contract after signing it, bringing his salary cap amount down to $3.21 million for the balance of the year. Adams’ salary cap hit was previously $11.59 million, according to Spotrac. According to the source, he has two voidable years left on his modified contract, and in the summer, the two parties intend to talk about his long-term future in New York.
According to the source, Adams also intends to play in his first Jets game on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A hamstring injury was given by the Raiders as the reason Adams missed the previous three games, sparking trade rumors.
Less than 12 hours had passed since the Jets’ humiliating 23–20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night before this trade. The Jets made costly errors in their first game since sacking head coach Robert Saleh, despite the addition of Todd Downing, the new offensive signal-caller, and the appointment of Jeff Ulbrich as interim head coach.
According to reports, Adams traveled to New Jersey on Monday night in order to assist with the transaction, and when he arrived, Rodgers—a longtime colleague of Adams’ on the Green Bay Packers—was there to greet him. Reuniting Rodgers with one of his most productive on-field colleagues is expected to help unlock all the success the Jets’ offense believes is just out of grasp, as it is currently suffering.
Together, the two discussed the deal during their Tuesday afternoon appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Adams declared, “We’re back, man, we’re back.”
Adams’s more than two-year stay in Las Vegas comes to an end with the trade.
In the 2022 offseason, the Raiders acquired Adams from the Packers through a trade, and subsequently inked a $140 million, five-year contract with $65.7 million in guaranteed money. After eight seasons of receiving passes from Rodgers, Adams had become one of the NFL’s top receivers, and Las Vegas traded away first- and second-round picks to get him.
Adams and Derek Carr, his former college quarterback from Fresno State, were reunited with the contract to Las Vegas. In his rookie campaign with the Raiders, Adams was named to the first team of the All-Pro team for the third time in a row. With 100 receptions for 1,516 yards, he set a league record with 14 touchdown receptions. The Raiders finished 6-11, but Carr made his first Pro Bowl since 2017. That was after Adams’ arrival. Carr was benched for the last two games of the season in order to prevent his contract from having an injury guarantee activated.
Things in Las Vegas have altered dramatically since then. The next offseason, Carr signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints after being released by the Raiders. Following a 3–5 start to the 2023 season, general manager David Ziegler—who orchestrated the acquisition of Adams—and head coach Josh McDaniels were sacked by the Raiders.
After leading the Raiders to a 5-4 victory, Antonio Pierce assumed the role of interim coach and was later hired on a permanent basis. However, the 2024 campaign is off to a turbulent start, highlighted by a crushing defeat at home against the Carolina Panthers, who had recently benched top quarterback Bryce Young.
After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 32-13 on Sunday, the Raiders benched journeyman quarterback Gardner Minshew II in favor of Aidan O’Connell, but things did not improve. With a 2-4 record, they don’t seem to be in the running for the championship and rank 27th in the league in total offense. Ultimately, they concluded that a team that is primed for immediate success would benefit more from having a 31-year-old, six-time Pro Bowl receiver on its roster.
The agreement puts an end to months of rumors that Adams was up for trade. In February, general manager Tom Telesco refuted reports that the Raiders intended to sell Adams. When the Raiders had a dismal start, the atmosphere in Las Vegas changed.
Pierce took a liking to a September social media report from Sports Illustrated stating that the Raiders were actively pursuing Adams in the trade market. Adams reported that he hadn’t heard anything about trade rumors or Pierce’s social media activities from Pierce or anybody else from the Raiders a day later.
As it happens, the Raiders were prepared to negotiate.
