Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.
Even with question marks at quarterback, the Las Vegas Raiders appear to be all-in on contending for a playoff spot in 2024. There’s a lot of high-end talent on the roster, including Davante Adams, who is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
The problem for Adams is that he’ll be turning 32 during the season and wide receivers typically don’t remain elite as they get deeper into their 30s. The one major achievement Adams hasn’t gotten is winning a Super Bowl. It’ll be difficult to reach that feat with the Raiders until they have a set quarterback.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report pitched a trade that would send Adams to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2025 first-round pick.
“Adding Adams to that mix would give Matthew Stafford the most dangerous trio of wide receivers in the league,” Davenport wrote in a June 14 column.
“It wouldn’t be cheap—but there’s no general manager in the NFL more willing to deal first-rounders than Les Snead. 2024 was the first time Los Angeles picked in Round 1 since taking Jared Goff first overall in 2016. It wouldn’t be easy to get Adams’ salary under the cap, either—but teams play that shell game all the time.”
The Rams were a playoff team last season and are just three years removed from winning a Super Bowl. Adams would be able to stay close to his family, which was a big reason why he chose the Raiders.
Insider Expects Las Vegas Raiders to Be Sellers at Trade Deadline
The Raiders are feeling good about their team right now. The defense could be a top unit this season and there are a lot of good weapons on offense. However, if the season gets off to a rough start, general manager Tom Telesco may prefer to start selling off some older veterans.
“I also believe that the roster is a ways off, and the long-term quarterback for Pierce and first-year GM Tom Telesco isn’t on the roster, so there’s a pretty logical scenario out there where they become sellers at the deadline,” Breer wrote June 13 column.
“They would, at the very least, get calls on (Maxx) Crosby. Which doesn’t mean they would trade him—he’s still just 26, so it’d be different than dealing (Davante) Adams or even (Kolton) Miller—but they would get to see his value to other teams.”
If the Raiders are 3-6 or 2-7 at the trade deadline, there’d be no reason to keep a player like Adams, especially if another team is offering a first-round pick.
Las Vegas Raiders Should Be Competitive in 2024
Media pundits like Breer are selling the Raiders short in 2024 but there’s reason for the team to be optimistic. They went 8-9 last season despite firing head coach Josh McDaniels mid-season and playing three different starting quarterbacks.
This year, the Raiders will have Antonio Pierce as the full-time head coach and a better quarterback room. They also added players like Christian Wilkins, Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson, who should all provide upgrades at key positions. The Raiders are not a worse team in 2024 so it’s hard to see them winning fewer than seven games. That makes it unlikely they’ll end up trading players like Adams.