The Las Vegas Raiders are trading star WR Davante Adams to the New York Jets, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The Jets are trading a conditional third-rounder that could become a second based on performance to the Raiders for Adams, Rapoport added.
The Steelers were interested in Adams, but ultimately weren’t able to pull off a deal. Adams now reunites with his former quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, and the six-time Pro Bowler could potentially make his debut for New York on Sunday Night Football against Pittsburgh.
Per Fox Sports insider Jordan Schultz, the Jets believe there’s a chance that Adams is healthy enough and could play on Sunday against Pittsburgh. He’s currently in the team’s facility and undergoing a physical.
With the Steelers missing out on Adams, they’ll have to look elsewhere to improve their receiver room via trade. Options could include Tennessee Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins or Jacksonville Jaguars WR Christian Kirk. With the Jets acquiring Adams, they could look to recoup some draft capital by dealing WR Mike Williams, who could also be of interest to the Steelers.
Adams formally asked for a trade two weeks ago and the process happened in quick order, especially relative to the months-long saga Brandon Aiyuk went through before re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers were named as one of the top teams interested along with the Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills. The Jets offered a reunion with Rodgers while the Saints could have provided the same with QB Derek Carr.
Though Adams had previously dismissed rumors of his unhappiness on a floundering Raiders franchise, something changed this year that made him want out. Perhaps it was head coach Antonio Pierce recently appearing to like an Instagram post that stated Adams had played his last down for the Raiders. The Raiders are 2-4 this season after losing to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Raiders ahead of the 2022 season, Adams has remained one of the NFL’s most productive wide receivers despite middling quarterback play. In 2022, he finished with 117 receptions, 1,516 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. Last year, he caught 103 passes for 1,144 yards and eight scores.
With Adam 31 years old — he turned 32 on Christmas Eve — the biggest obstacle in a trade centered on his contract. Owed enormous base salaries next year, the Jets are going to take on the remainder of Adams’ contract, per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, although it will likely be restructured if he stays in New York beyond this year. That also meant Adams had some sway in his next landing spot, needing to agree to contract terms that also impacted his trade value. In the end, he winds up in one of his preferred landing spots and reunites with Rodgers, giving the Jets a legitimate 1-2 WR tandem along with Garrett Wilson.
Adams has reportedly been dealing with a “legitimate” hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last three games, including Las Vegas’ 32-13 Week 6 loss to the Steelers. It’s possible that given the injury and acclimating to a new team he could also miss Week 7. If he doesn’t the Steelers are going to need to deal with a trio of talented receivers in Adams, Mike Williams and Wilson against the Jets, and with Rodgers having a good performance in Week 6, it could be a long night for Pittsburgh’s defense.
The Steelers had reportedly made an “aggressive” offer for Adams, but in the end, he reunites with Rodgers and the Raiders get a draft pick that could become a second-round one, which was their asking price for the receiver. The Jets agreeing to pay all of Adams’ salary likely helped facilitate the deal as well, and now the Steelers will need to look elsewhere to add to their receiver room down the stretch.
