Getty Davante Adams with Aaron Rodgers.
The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets are two teams that had disappointing seasons in 2023 but the latter at least knows who their quarterback and head coach will be next season. The Raiders are in the midst of a search for their general manager and head coach while they also need to start evaluating quarterback options for 2024.
Wide receiver Davante Adams has been vocal about his support for interim head coach Antonio Pierce to get the full-time job and it’s unlikely he’ll want to be traded if that happens. However, the Jets have been linked to Adams for the past year due to his previous relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
While Rodgers has waxed poetic about Adams for years, it sounds like he’s not banking on the star wide receiver coming to New York.
“None right now, absolutely none,” Rodgers said when asked if he’s had conversations with the Jets about adding Adams on the January 9 episode of the “Pat McAfee Show.” … Obviously, creating a championship team is the goal for Joe [Douglas] and obviously that’s what Woody [Johnson] wants. Me coming back is obviously a big part of that, but you need the players around you. Davante Adams is a fantastic player. He also plays for the Raiders.”
Adams wanted Rodgers in Las Vegas before he was traded to the Jets but it seems like the two are done trying to recruit each other. It would appear that any recruitment from Rodgers is going to happen in private if it happens at all.
“Davante Adams is a fantastic player and he really likes Antonio Pierce”
Why Would Davante Adams Want to Go to New York Jets?
Jets fans have been all over Davante Adams since Aaron Rodgers got traded to the team. However, it doesn’t make much sense for Adams to go to New York. First, he went to the Raiders so he could be closer to his family in California. It doesn’t get much further from California than New York.
Plus, the Jets weren’t better than the Raiders in 2023. Las Vegas finished 8-9 while New York finished 7-10. In the Week 10 matchup between the two teams, the Raiders won 16-12. Now, Rodgers didn’t play most of the season due to an Achilles tear but would Adams want to spend the final years of his career playing with a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a serious injury? That seems unlikely unless he really isn’t a fan of what the Raiders do this offseason.
Difficult to Know What Las Vegas Raiders Will Do
It’s also difficult to really speculate about the Raiders’ roster right now until they hire a general manager. The team could still hire somebody who thinks the team needs to rebuild and start trading off assets or they could hire somebody who believes the roster is close to competing.
Davante Adams is a leader and has never said that he would like to be traded. He’s 31 now and has already set roots in Las Vegas. If the Raiders decide to add a young quarterback in the draft, the best thing the team could give him is an elite wide receiver. Unless the Jets or another team were willing to make an offer the Raiders can’t refuse, expect Adams to be in Las Vegas next season.