Latest On Davante Adams

After months of speculation and trade rumors, it finally appears as if the Raiders and WR Davante Adams are prepared to split. The Raiders began calling teams to gauge trade interest this week, while Adams informed the team his preference is to be traded. 

This looks like it could be a developing situation for a while, so consider this a one-stop shop for everything we know so far, as well as the latest updates as the Raiders and Adams search for a new home for the star wideout.

10/3

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that while Adams prefers to be traded to the Jets, he has not told the Raiders that New York is the only team he would accept a trade to. 

Rapoport believes the Raiders will take the best deal out there for their star receiver regardless, and adds several teams have either inquired or are on Adams’ list of preferred destinations. Those include:

1. Saints
2. Steelers
3. Ravens
4. Bills
5. Cowboys
6. 49ers

Rapoport doesn’t expect a deal to gain steam until next week as the trade deadline remains weeks away. Adams’ hamstring injury is also a factor, per Rapoport, and that’s what both sides say is keeping him sidelined right now, not the pending trade negotiations. 

In fact, Rapoport notes if this trade takes some time to materialize, Adams could suit up and play for Las Vegas in the coming weeks, though we’ll see how things actually play out. 

Dianna Russini mentioned the Bills and Chiefs are monitoring the status of talks and are more likely to get involved if the Raiders eat a portion of Adams’ salary. 

Jonathan Jones says there’s a lot to work through which is why a trade probably won’t happen by the end of this week, including: 

• The Raiders’ asking price
• Adams’ salary and logistics around that
• Adams’ hamstring injury
• The Jets focusing more on their trip to London in Week 5
• The potential for injuries in Week 5 to change the landscape around the league at receiver
• Adams possibly changing his mind on where he wants to go

We also took a look at all the potential logistics at play for a potential Adams trade and the 12 teams that could conceivably end up pulling off a trade for the star receiver in the end. 

10/2

Interested Teams

Albert Breer of SI.com reports that the Bills and Steelers are among the teams that have inquired about a potential trade for Raiders WR Davante Adams. However, Breer adds that teams involved in the Adams’ trade market believe he’s focused on engineering a trade to the Jets.

Dianna Russini has heard the Jets and the Cowboys have both checked in with the Raiders about Adams. She adds Las Vegas isn’t in a hurry with five weeks until the trade deadline, while Adams wants a resolution ASAP. Jordan Schultz adds the Cowboys aren’t interested in trading for Adams. 

Josina Anderson has also heard the Steelers are among the teams with preliminary interest in Adams. 

According to Adam Schefter, the Saints and Jets are at or near the top of the preferred landing spots for Adams.

Both teams would check several significant boxes for Adams, including reuniting with quarterbacks he’s played alongside and had success with in the past. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers and the Saints have Derek Carr. Schefter points out the Jets also have WR coach Keith Williams who has worked with Adams as a personal coach and is considered a mentor to the star wideout. 

Schefter adds that despite the speculation, the Chiefs are not expected to be an option for Adams. Teams are usually reluctant to trade within the division and the Raiders consider Kansas City a major rival. 

Tony Pauline, citing people close to Adams, says the Jets, Steelers, Bills and Saints currently feel like the most interested teams, with Pittsburgh viewed as the best fit. 

Ian Rapoport mentions there remains a possibility Adams stays with the Raiders, as there are some members of the organization who would prefer that outcome. 

Compensation

Josina Anderson gauged the market for Adams, talking to a notable team from both the AFC and NFC. One said it hadn’t been contacted by the Raiders yet and was doubtful Las Vegas would like their offer anyway.

“It’s always about the $ this time of year. The stars would have to be aligned and Vegas would have to eat some P5 (paragraph 5 salary) for it to work.” 

The other added, “Doubt it. Hasn’t been discussed yet. His p5 is 16M with a 25M cap hit according to general numbers accessed (so far).” 

Anderson also checked in with the Jets, who are currently focusing on logistics for their upcoming game against the Vikings in London but will at least explore trading for Adams. 

Dianna Russini notes it seems like the Raiders are setting a high initial asking price for Adams. She spoke to one team decision-maker who called the Raiders about Adams and said they “already moved on.”

Jonathan Jones says the belief from his sources around the league is that Adams is ultimately traded for a third-round pick and change, despite Las Vegas’ initial asking price being a second-plus. 

He adds the Raiders could eat some of Adams’ salary to get a higher pick but Adams’ desires about where he wants to go will be a factor in negotiations. 

How We Got Here

Vic Tafur writes that Adams officially requested a trade on Monday and part of what finally pushed him to take that step was Raiders HC Antonio Pierce liking an Instagram post (accidentally or not) insinuating Las Vegas could trade the star receiver. 

Tafur also notes that while Adams had clear frustrations about how the Raiders handled the quarterback position during his tenure, the team didn’t appreciate how Adams suggested he “signed off” on benching former QB Jimmy Garoppolo on the Netflix Receiver documentary. The way Adams came across on the show also didn’t sit great with some of his teammates, per Tafur. 

This preseason, Tafur says the team was only expecting Adams to be gone a couple of days for the birth of his child during the preseason, but Adams missed 10. There also was some tension about Adams not wanting to play in the preseason and Pierce wanting all healthy players to play.

Tafur adds Adams’ current hamstring injury is legitimate and not a phantom injury to keep him out during all the trade talk. 

Jeremy Fowler says he was told very recently that Adams was “on board” with the team, and when he checked early Tuesday with team sources they were not aware of Adams’ trade request. However, things obviously changed.

Fowler notes multiple teams had Adams on their trade radar over the past few days. He also doesn’t rule out Adams playing this week against the Broncos despite the hamstring injury. 

10/1

Ian Rapoport reported earlier today that Adams told the Raiders he would prefer to be traded, adding there’s nothing imminent but this continues to be a situation to watch. 

Another report indicated the Raiders are more open to trading Adams than they have been in the last calendar year, and have begun gauging the veteran wideout’s value with other teams. 

Adam Schefter later reported the Raiders have informed other teams they would “consider” trading Adams for a package including a second-round pick plus additional compensation. 

According to Jordan Schultz, one of Adams’ “preferred destinations” in a possible trade is the New York Jets. 

Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap notes the Jets initially planned to pay LB Haason Reddick $15 million and should have the cash budget capable to sign Adams if they cut Reddick. 

Jonathan Jones adds there’s a belief interested teams will need to speak with Adams about reworking his contract. Adams is due about $13.5 million for the remainder of the season but has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal past this season

Fitzgerald also notes Adams’ current cap figure for an acquiring team of $13.5 million will drop by $968,000 each week going forward.

Up until now, both the Raiders and Adams have insisted that Adams is happy in Las Vegas and the team had no plans to trade him. 

Adams is currently week-to-week with a hamstring injury he suffered at the end of practice last Thursday. 

Adams, 31, is a former second-round pick out of Fresno State by the Packers in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was in the final year of a four-year, $3.933 million rookie contract when the Packers signed him to a four-year extension worth $58 million.

Adams made a base salary of $12 million for the 2021 season and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 when the Packers used the franchise tag on him at a figure of $20.2 million. He was then traded to the Raiders for a first and second-round draft pick in 2022.

The Raiders also signed Adams to a five-year, $140 million contract as a part of the trade, including nearly $66 million guaranteed. He’s due base salaries of $16.89 million and $35.64 million over the next two seasons. 

In 2024, Adams has appeared in three games and recorded 18 receptions for 209 yards (11.6 YPC) and one touchdown. 

We’ll have more on Adams as the news is available.