Despite the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders went 8-9 last season and appear poised to go all-in on winning in 2024, there have been persistent trade rumors involving star wide receiver Davante Adams. General manager Tom Telesco is still new to the team but he’s finally getting an idea of what the roster is going to look like.
According to Telesco, he does not envision it without Adams.
“He’s a Raider,” Telesco said when asked what his response would be if a team tried to trade for Adams during his February 27 press conference.
Obviously, things could change in the coming months but there’s been no indication the Raiders are even open to trading Adams. He also hasn’t hinted that he wants to leave. Now that Telesco has come out and made it clear that Adams isn’t going anywhere, that should cool down the trade talk for now.
However, they likely won’t be dead completely until the 2024 season officially starts. Adams remains one of the top wide receivers in the NFL and would be no shortage of teams interested in him if he was available in a trade. For now, he’s not available and will almost certainly be a Raider in 2024.
Which Teams Could Try to Pry Davante Adams?
The Raiders are sending a message to the NFL that Davante Adams isn’t available but that could always change if a team is willing to make a big offer. The New York Jets have been the team most commonly linked to Adams due to his connection to Aaron Rodgers.
If the Jets were willing to come in and offer a first-round pick (No. 10) for Adams, that could be difficult to turn down. Getting the Jets’ No. 10 pick would give the Raiders serious ammo to move up for a quarterback.
That said, leaving a rookie quarterback without Adams to throw to could be a mistake. Also, it’s unlikely a team is willing to give up a top-10 pick for a 31-year-old wide receiver. The Jets’ window is very narrow and general manager Joe Douglas is on the hot seat. He could get desperate and make a ridiculous offer to the Raiders for Adams but it’s hard to see that happening.
Tom Telesco believes he has three future NFL general managers on his staff with JoJo Wooden, Champ Kelly and Dwayne Joseph.
Does Davante Adams Want to Stay?
Another thing that could convince the Raiders to trade Davante Adams is if he didn’t want to be on the team anymore. There’d be no sense in keeping a player with a $25 million cap hit in 2024 if he didn’t want to be there.
While Adams has been honest about his frustrations with the team at points, he’s never suggested he wants to leave. The time to trade him likely would’ve been at the deadline last season.
Adams endorsed Antonio Pierce as head coach and that’s who the Raiders hired. There’s no reason to believe he’s unhappy. The only thing could potnetially sour that is if he doesn’t like what the Raiders do at quarterback. He won’t really know what’s happening at the position until the draft.
For now, Adams seems happy in Las Vegas and likely isn’t looking to move across the coutnry to New York. Things could change if the Raiders have another bad season but it remains to be seen if that will happen.
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Raiders GM Tom Telesco Has Telling Response to Davante Adams Trade Talk