Getty Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are in a completely different place than they were last year. Coming off of a miraculous playoff berth in 2022, the team traded for star wide receiver Davante Adams and gave a big contract to Chandler Jones. The thought was that the team was going to make a run at competing for Super Bowl.
Less than a year later, the Raiders now look like a team that’s closer to getting the No. 1 pick than competing for a Super Bowl. That’s something that Adams, who signed a five-year, $140 million extension with Las Vegas in March 2022, doesn’t seem thrilled about. He did an interview with The Ringer where he said he hasn’t been seeing “eye-to-eye” with the front office.
He also expressed concern with new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s playing style. The Raiders gave up a first and second-round pick to get him but he’s 30 now and might not want to stick around for a rebuild.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes teams should reach out to the Raiders about a possible Adams trade and mentioned the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants as possible suitors:
Adams is a game-changing talent—last year his 1,516 receiving yards were third in the NFL.
But the reality is calling the Raiders a playoff contender is a stretch. Calling them a Super Bowl contender is laughable.
And assuming that Adams knows that too, the relationship between player and team may only just be beginning to deteriorate.
Trading Davante Adams Is Essentially Impossible
The talk of trading Adams is completely pointless. He’s not asking for a trade and the Raiders can’t realistically make one. If they traded him this year, he would have a whopping dead cap hit of $31.4 million this year. Even if they decided to do it next year, there would be a dead cap hit of $23.6 million. That is a massive price tag to pay for a player who isn’t on the roster.
After 2024, Adams will likely be moved or have his contract restructured but he’s stuck with the team for the next two seasons. The only way a trade would happen is if Adams forces one but that’s not his style. He likely wouldn’t mind playing for a contender but he grew up a Raiders fan and chose them as the team he wanted to play for. He made his bed and he’s going to lie in it.
What Would Davante Adams Be Worth in a Trade?
Adams is now a year older than when the Raiders traded for him but he continued to prove that he’s one of the best players in the NFL. How much would be worth to a contender like the Bills? Probably a lot. It’s easy to see the Raiders getting the same thing that they sent the Packers when they first added him. A first and second-round pick for a player like Adams is certainly worth it to a team that is a Super Bowl contender. He could be the difference between winning a Lombardi Trophy and not.
Unfortunately, two years from now when they can actually get off of his contract, he’ll be 32. His value will likely take a hit by then. If the Raiders are bad this year, there will be speculation of Adams getting traded but he’s not going anywhere.