Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
The Cleveland Browns figure to be active ahead of the NFL trade deadline and could mix in a few big swings.
To that end, Nat LaJoie of Bleacher Report suggested the team make a call to the Las Vegas Raiders on the long-shot chance they might be able to trade for six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams.
“[Adams is] gonna produce no matter who is at quarterback for him,” LaJoie said. “Imagine him with Deshaun Watson. We saw how crazy DeAndre Hopkins went back in the day when they [together] were with the Houston Texans.”
Davante Adams Has Expressed Frustration with Raiders
GettyWide receiver Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders.
LaJoie noted that the likelihood the Raiders part with Adams is low after trading for him just two offseason past. However, the wide receiver wasn’t happy when the franchise dismissed his college teammate and good friend Derek Carr.
The franchise has struggled to score points and has done considerably more losing than winning since Adams’ arrival, which at least cracks the window of a potential trade deadline move. Meanwhile, the Browns’ offense could use an infusion of playmaking with Nick Chubb out for the season and Watson set to miss his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.
“Cleveland is sort of devoid of a top tier wide receiver outside of Amari Cooper,” LaJoie. The Browns, in my opinion, are a legitimate contender. … That defense is balling. They are playing fantastic football and I think a guy like Davante Adams, if you bring him in on the offensive side of the ball, I mean he’s one of the best receivers if not the best receiver in the National Football League. ”
Davante Adams Trade Can Secure Browns’ Offense for Years to Come
GettyLas Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.
Adams has been named a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons. In 2022, he 100 passes for 1,516 yards and led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
Even in his age-30 season, Adams has shown no signs of slowing down. He has caught 37 passes for 442 yards and 3 touchdowns, despite the Raiders’ offensive struggles. Las Vegas has averaged just 15.8 points per game through five outings in 2023.
Adams won’t come cheap, if the Browns are able to acquire him at all. He is playing in the second season of a five-year deal worth $140 million, but the contract price is just one part of Adams’ cost.
Las Vegas sent the Green Bay Packers their first- and second-round picks in 2022 for the right to pay the receiver what at the time was a historically wealthy contract. Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round pick to work with, though the team does own its second- and third-rounders in 2023. The Browns also have two selections in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds of next year’s draft.
Cleveland can probably cobble together an offer the Raiders might consider if the Browns are willing to mix in their 2025 first-round pick. However, that assumed Las Vegas is willing to entertain offers for Adams at all.
The team is 2-3 and will host the New England Patriots (1-4) next Sunday before traveling to Solider Field to play the Chicago Bears (1-4) the following week. If the Raiders can get back on a winning track, the already small likelihood of parting with Adams will become minuscule to non-existent.