Cowboys Pushed to Strike Blockbuster Trade for $140 Million Receiver

Getty Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys would complete their biggest trade of the year if they were able to pull off one suggested by a writer who covers the Green Bay Packers.

Locked on Packers’ Peter Bukowski wrote that the Las Vegas Raiders should trade wide receiver Davante Adams, who made headlines with his postgame comments after the Raiders’ 23-18 Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The line that stood out most was this remark from Adams:

“I don’t got time to wait around,” said Adams, who mega-effort against the Steelers produced 13 receptions for 172 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.

Bukowski was among the pundits who suggested the Raiders trade Adams, a five-time Pro Bowler with Green Bay, to the Cowboys.

“Don’t kill me,” Bukowski posted on X, formerly Twitter. “The #Packers aren’t winning the Super Bowl this year. Aaron Rodgers has struck fear into Cowboys hearts for a decade. They aren’t the evil empire anymore. Let Tae go win a ring with Mike McCarthy. It would be legitimately really cool.”

Why Davante Adams Could Make Sense for Cowboys

There’s little doubt that Adams would immediately emerge as Dallas’ biggest weapon. CeeDee Lamb currently occupies that spot, but as good as Lamb is, he’s not as dominant as Adams. The 30-year-old receiver is coming off of back-to-back 1,500-yard, 11 touchdown-plus seasons, leading the league in receiving touchdowns in two of the past three seasons.

The idea of a big name like Adams landing in Dallas is exactly what the Cowboys have become known for. In this calendar year alone, they’ve pulled off three trades for big names, including former Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Stephon Gilmore, veteran receiver Brandin Cooks and former No. 3 overall draft pick quarterback Trey Lance.

However, this one would take the cake in more ways than one. Outside of Adams’ production and the fact that he may be the No. 1 receiver in the NFL, his contract is huge. Upon being traded to the Raiders last offseason, Adams signed a five-year, $140 million deal.

Davante Adams’ Dead Money Cap Hit Isn’t That Bad

Adams’ cap hit for the 2023 season is $14.7 million, but his salary is just $6 million. In other words, the Cowboys would be on the hook for his base salary and other incentives — $510,000 per-game roster bonus and potential $250,000 Pro Bowl bid incentive — for this season.

Furthermore, the idea of trading Adams — despite his major cap hit in future years — is actually feasible. The Raiders’ dead money cap hit would be only $7.9 million in each of the next four years.

With that being said, would the Cowboys really want to make a move for Adams when they currently feature a Pro Bowl receiver in Lamb and two viable starters in Cooks and Michael Gallup?

The question becomes whether or not team owner Jerry Jones grows impatient with his top two receivers. Cooks has delivered lackluster returns as a starting receiver in the early start to his Cowboys career, producing just four receptions for 39 receiving yards despite playing 99 offensive snaps, 71% of the snaps in those two games.

Meanwhile, Gallup doesn’t appear to be the same receiver that he was before his torn ACL at the end of the 2021 season. While he’s coming off of an efficient game against the Arizona Cardinals — six receptions for 92 receiving yards — he posted just two receptions for 13 receiving yards in the first two games of the season. Gallup literally ranks outside of the top 100 in receptions, receiving yards and yards after catch for the season.

The Cowboys offense ranks fifth in scoring, but the passing offense has been mediocre, ranking 18th in yards and touchdowns and 19th in net yards per attempt.

If the passing game continues to be lackluster and the losses pile up, who’s to say Jones wouldn’t consider a trade for Adams? Especially when one considers the Raiders are probably heading towards another losing season and might be willing to trade their star receiver to an NFC team.

The trade isn’t a viable one at the moment, but things could change between now and the trade deadline on October 31.