Getty Raiders star Davante Adams, still the subject of trade rumors.
Should folks in Raiders Nation listen to what Boomer Esiason says? He is a longtime NFL commentator who still knows plenty of movers and shakers around the NFL. But he is also a former Jets quarterback who does a radio show in New York City, so he comes with a bias. But he has been saying, quite publicly on his show, that the Raiders will trade Davante Adams, and they’re likely to do so late next month.
Maybe. Sorta.
Fact is, the Jets would very much like to get Adams to New York, to pair him up with Aaron Rodgers, his old batterymate with the Packers. But there is not a whole lot of incentive for the Raiders to do that, not for a team that is looking to compete in 2024 after a strong finish in 2023.
Adams, despite a down year with the Raiders—the entire offense was down last season—remains among the best receivers in the NFL and has given no indication that he wants to leave Las Vegas. Part of the reason he wanted to play for the Raiders in the first place is to be near his family in California, and to establish some continuity at the end of his career.
Pushing for a trade to the Jets is not going to accomplish that, of course.
Davante Adams Trade Coming Next Month, Boomer Esiason Says
Here’s what Esiason, referencing comments made by Adams in the Netflix show “Receiver,” said this week on the “Boomer & Gio Show” on WFAN in New York:
“The dead cap for the Raiders this year is $40 million [if they traded him]. I’m hearing that this is gonna happen – if it does happen – in late August or early September. And the cap hit for him is $25 million.
“I’m not sure about why it would take that long, but Davante is never going to come out publicly and say ‘I want to leave the Raiders.’ But you hear in this “Receiver” program, where he says ‘I gotta get out of here before I get killed.’ He says that. That leads the viewer to believe that he wants out of [Vegas]. But I don’t see him saying that publicly.”
In fact, what Adams has said publicly has been that he likes Las Vegas and he wants to stay put with the team that gave him a five-year, $140 million contract two years ago.
“If I wanted to be gone, I’d be gone by now,” Adams told reporters in April, according to The Athletic. “This is where I want to be.”
Raiders Quarterback Situation a Potential Hang-Up
Despite an uncertain situation under center that saw the Raiders use three different starters at quarterback, finally settling on fourth-round thrower Aidan O’Connell to close the season, Adams still managed 103 catches and 1,144 yards in 2023. But that is subpar by his standards. Adams racked up 4,443 yards in the previous three seasons, on 338 catches and twice led the NFL in touchdowns. (He had only eight this season.)
One problem that could nudge Adams into changing his tune and asking for a trade is the fact that the Raiders did not significantly upgrade at quarterback, again bringing back O’Connell and adding journeyman Gardner Minshew to compete with him. Perhaps if Adams sees no real improvement in the guys throwing him the ball, he will angle for a trade.
But O’Connell did lead the team to three wins in their final four games, leaning heavily on a tough defense that should improve with the addition of lineman Christian Wilkins. The Raiders nearly earned a playoff spot behind that finish. The one loss in that stretch came against Minshew and the Colts.
The Raiders can win, which is what Adams ultimately wants. If he’s sure they have a chance this season, he’d have no reason to seek an exit.