Getty Davante Adams lined up against Jalen Ramsey.
This year’s NFL offseason has been ripe with blockbuster trades but not lost in the shuffle was the Las Vegas Raiders‘ deal for Davante Adams. It didn’t seem possible the superstar wide receiver would ever leave the Green Bay Packers after Aaron Rodgers decided to stick around. The Packers even offered more money than the Raiders were offering, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but that wasn’t enough to convince him to stay.
Adams wanted to be in Las Vegas and wanted to play with Derek Carr, who played college football with him at Fresno State. It’s typically difficult to acquire players of Adams’ caliber but the Raiders weren’t going to be denied. Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey was another player who was widely considered the best in the world at his position when he forced a trade. He had a lot of respect for Adams taking control of his own destiny.
That’s how you Get that 💰 secured & reset that market. And doing that while playing with a team you want… now that’s dope & well deserved❕@tae15adams
Adams now joins Ramsey in the West but in a different conference. The Rams cornerback can’t be too sad he won’t have to face the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver in the NFC playoffs going forward.
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Adams’ Contract More Reasonable Than Originally Thought
When the Raiders first traded for Adams, it was reported that he was receiving a five-year contract that would pay him an average of $28.25 million per year. That makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in the history of the NFL. However, if you dig a little deeper, that contract is more palatable for the Raiders than originally thought.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the team is only guaranteeing $22.75 million at signing. Another $42.92 million in injury guarantees becomes fully guaranteed next year but the Raiders could avoid paying that if they cut him, which clearly isn’t likely. Florio went into detail on the breakdown:
In reality, it’s a three-year, $67.5 million contract. The final two seasons pay out a whopping $72.5 million that Adams may never see, given that he’ll be 32 when the final two years kick in.
So it’s fair to call it a three-year, $67.5 million deal. It has a real average of $22.5 million. The fluff in 2025 and 2026 push it to $28 million per year. Again, the chances of Adams getting paid $36.25 million at age 32 and 33 are slim, unless he plays incredibly well and the salary cap and the receiver market mushrooms.
While there have been some critics of the deal, the contract actually looks a lot better for the Raiders. Paying $22.5 million a year for the best wide receiver isn’t a bad deal at all.
Would Raiders Let Go of Adams Before His Contract Is Up?
With the Raiders trading away first and second-round picks to land Adams, it’s hard to imagine the intention was to have him play for three seasons and then move on. In all likelihood, the team structured the contract the way that they did so that they could have leverage to restructure if Adams’ play starts to decline as the years go on.
If he comes in and starts breaking Raiders records every year, then the team shouldn’t have a problem paying him big money. It’s wise for them to have an out after Year 3 in case Adams starts to decline with age. Overall, this trade looks even better for the Raiders now than it did when the news first broke.
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