Getty Bill Belichick could trade for Davante Adams.
With the New England Patriots boasting an elite defense and the Las Vegas Raiders headed toward mediocrity, a trade for wide receiver Davante Adams makes sense.
USA Today “Patriots Wire” writer Jordy McElroy proposed three ways the Patriots could acquire the All-Pro wide receiver. The Patriots offense looks improved despite struggles in the first three weeks, but the fifth-ranked defense has the team in “win-now” mode as McElroy put it.
New England could trade away its first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as option one for landing Adams. McElroy’s second proposal sends Patriots linebacker Josh Uche plus a third-round pick in 2024 to the Raiders for Adams. Lastly, McElroy proposed the Patriots could trade wide receiver DeVante Parker plus three mid-round draft picks to acquire Adams.
The Raiders star made waves after a 23-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, which sparked trade rumors. New England has $4.53 million available in salary cap to work a trade, and sending either Uche or Parker would clear cap additional space.
Patriots Give Up the Most With DeVante Parker Trade
New England sending Parker plus a second, third, and fourth-round pick as McElroy proposed could cost the Patriots but sell the Raiders on sending Adams to the East Coast.
“This package ensures that the Raiders have a good receiver to help with the massive void left by Adams, along with giving the team a bevy of draft picks to build for the future,” McElroy wrote.
Trading Parker for Adams works well with the Patriots’ salary cap. Spotrac’s projection has the Patriots at $6 million in cap space after processing a trade.
Adams would only cost the Patriots $6.79 million against the salary cap despite his five-year, $140 million contract. He will make $26.6 million with the Raiders this season.
Parker has a two-year, $10.8 million contract with the Patriots, and he will make $9.11 million this year. He would only count for $1.56 million in dead cap money if traded.
Patriots Could Afford to Trade Josh Uche and Picks for Davante Adams
Despite listing as a first-string linebacker on the depth chart, Uche hasn’t lived up to first-string play this season, which makes him tradeable.
Uche has one start in three games, and the Patriots played him in just 38% of all defensive snaps and 18% of all special teams snaps. While those numbers reflect previous seasons, Uche hasn’t produced like he did in 2022 when he had 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 27 tackles.
So far, Uche has just two tackles and a sack in three games played. If the Patriots included Uche in a trade, he would only cost $369,879 in dead cap money. He has a four-year, $5.38 million deal with the team, which will expire in 2024.
“With all of the ongoing drama surrounding the Raiders and four-time Pro Bowler Chandler Jones, they’d get a huge boost along the defensive front with another solid draft pick tacked onto the trade,” McElroy wrote.
“Meanwhile, the Patriots would get to keep their premium draft picks and get something in return for Uche,” McElroy continued. “That would enable them to use their first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft on a potential long-term fix for the offensive line.”