Getty Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams warms up prior to a game at Allegiant Stadium on January 07, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills‘ need for a solid wide receiver to backup Stefon Diggs became a glaring issue following their frustrating playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and while they were heavily linked to a trade for Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins, such a move never came to fruition.
However, another high-profile receiver is turning heads on the trade market after expressing unhappiness with his team. In a recent interview with The Ringer, Las Vegas Raiders superstar Davante Adams said, “[The front office] think this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent. We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.
“I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible. It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”
Update: Davante Adams on the #Raiders front office:
“We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.”
“I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible. It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”
On Thursday, May 18, Bleacher Report‘s Gary Davenport named the Bills as a top “potential suitor” to make a move for the six-time Pro Bowler.
“It seems outrageous to suggest Davante Adams as a potential trade target,” Davenport wrote “After all, the Las Vegas Raiders just gave up their first two picks in the 2022 draft and handed Adams a massive contract a year ago. But just one year later, the honeymoon is over. The Raiders released Adams’ old college teammate (Derek Carr) in the offseason, replacing Carr at quarterback with Jimmy Garoppolo.”
There’s no debate, Davante Adams is the best route runner in the NFL
At age 30, Adams looking to win his first Super Bowl Championship, and with the Raiders in full rebuild mode after going 6-11 last year, it’s easy to see how he’d be interested in joining the Bills, a team that’s a perennial contender with quarterback Josh Allen at the helm.
“Adams is a game-changing talent—last year his 1,516 receiving yards were third in the NFL,” Davenport wrote. “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.”
Davante Adams’ $140 Million Contract Is Much Less Than It Seems, But an Immediate Trade Remains Highly Unlikley
New season, new quarterback in Las Vegas.
It’s not what Davante Adams expected going into his second season with the Raiders, but he’s trying to take it all in stride.
Last year, Adams became the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL after inking a five-year, $140 million contract following his trade from the Green Bay Packers to the Raiders. However, Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Floria broke down those seemingly inflated numbers to reveal Adams’ deal is actually is closer to a three-year, $67.5 million contract.
Pro Football Network wrote, “Adams’ contract would make a trade financially feasible for Las Vegas. If they traded Adams after June 1, they’d absorb $7.85 million in dead money this season and $23.55 million in 2024. NFL teams have become more willing to take on dead cap, so $31.4 million spread over two years probably won’t present much of an obstacle.”
However, the Raiders have already given up draft capital and paid Adams nearly $43 million in cash, so cutting ties with the man who led the league in receiving touchdowns last year (14), seems highly unlikely until 2025.
The Bills are Pinning Their Hopes on Rookie Tight End Dalton Kincaid
Dalton Kincaid is reportedly going to be utilized in a “similar fashion” to the way the Chiefs utilize Travis Kelce.
The Bills refer to Kincaid as a “weapon” rather than a traditional TE.
Josh Allen was reportedly “persistent” in his talks with GM Brandon Beane heading into the…
While the idea of adding the three-time, first-team All-Pro to the Bills roster is incredibly exciting — Allen having both Diggs and Adams as targets would create the scariest receiving duo in the league, this is basically a pipe dream at the moment.
In reality, in order to give Allen another offensive weapon, the Bills traded up two spots to land Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While Buffalo earned high praise for the unexpected move, analysts are split on whether Kincaid can deliver right away, especially since it historically takes tight ends a while to find their footing in the NFL.
The Ringer‘s Sheil Kapadia wrote of the 6-foot-4, 234-pound pass-catching tight end, “Expectations for Kincaid in the first year should be tempered. Tight ends selected in the first round over the past 10 years have produced 37.7 catches for 483.4 yards and 2.9 touchdowns on average as rookies. In other words, Kincaid can be a contributor, but history suggests he’s unlikely to become a true difference-maker immediately.”
Found ourselves a playmaker. 😈 #NFLDraft
However, Touchdown Wire‘s Doug Farrar sees Kincaid becoming the Bills’ new “alpha receiver” right away, comparing him to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 offensive weapon.
“Detaching Kincaid from the formation could and should set up some of the same kinds of mismatches presented over the years by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was my NFL comparison for Kincaid,” Farrar wrote. “The Bills are working overtime to change their offense into something that doesn’t require Josh Allen to be Superman on every play, and the addition of Kincaid is a major step forward in that positive direction.”