Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
The Davante Adams trade is now in the past and the Green Bay Packers are moving on from the star wide receiver. The Las Vegas Raiders will now reap the benefits of whatever success he has. Typically players of Adams’ caliber don’t get moved but Green Bay didn’t have much of a choice.
It’s been widely reported that the Packers were willing to match the contract offer the Raiders were making Adams. However, a new report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic offers a lot of new insight. According to him, Green Bay “knew immediately after the NFL Scouting Combine” that they had to trade the wide receiver. Adams went so far as to call head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to inform them that he wouldn’t play for the Packers again.
It only took a day for Adams and the Raiders to agree to a contract, per Howe, but there were some issues during trade negotiations. Howe dropped some very interesting insight regarding how the negotiations went down:
The deal then nearly hit a snag when the Packers asked for a player in return. Initially, the Raiders offered their 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-rounder. Shortly thereafter, the Packers asked for the first-rounder and an undisclosed player. It doesn’t sound like the Raiders were going to accept that package, but the sides also realized such a deal actually wasn’t permissible, as league rules don’t allow a player to be involved in a trade for another player on the franchise tag. Finally, a few days after ironing out the contract with Adams, the Raiders agreed to send the pair of picks.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Which Player Did Packers Want?
Perhaps the most interesting nugget that Howe dropped was the fact that the Packers were trying to get a player from the Raiders over a second-round pick. He didn’t have insight on who the player Green Bay was targeting but he had to have at least been as valuable as a second-round pick. The fact that the Raiders didn’t want to let go of the undisclosed player further adds to the idea it was a player of value.
The Packers are set at running back so that rules out Josh Jacobs. The team could’ve been trying to get Hunter Renfrow. Trading a valuable wide receiver for a valuable wide receiver could’ve been appealing to them. The most likely player was tight end Darren Waller. The Packers don’t have a great tight end and adding him would’ve helped soften the blow of losing Adams. The Raiders were wise to avoid trading Waller if that’s who Green Bay wanted. This is all speculation but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it eventually came out that the Packers were trying to get the Pro Bowl tight end.
The most guaranteed money among WRs 💰
Raiders Were Hoping to Not Give up the 2nd Round Pick
Not only did the Raiders not want to give up a player, but they also didn’t want to give up the second-round pick they sent to Green Bay. Howe reported that the team was trying to give the Packers a different pick other than this year’s second-rounder. It’s unclear which pick the Raiders preferred to give them. Perhaps something in the third or fourth round.
In the end, both teams worked it out and made a trade that was fair.
READ NEXT: Proposed Trade for Pro Bowl CB Gives Raiders ‘Best Group’ in AFC West