The pack is thinning in the Davante Adams pursuit. Although the teams most closely linked to the Raiders wide receiver remain in the hunt, some of the second-tier pursuers are no longer part of this mix.
Never a realistic destination due to their AFC West proximity, the Chiefs are indeed out on Adams. The same goes for the Commanders and Ravens, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur. Both Mid-Atlantic teams were believed to be in on Adams, along with the usual suspects since the WR’s trade request, but Baltimore had been drifting out of the picture.
[RELATED: Raiders Aiming To Unload WR Soon]
The Commanders were listed as an Adams dark-horse destination over the weekend, but this is the second time GM Adam Peters has stood down on a big-ticket pass catcher. Brandon Aiyuk, who played a season with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, would have been amenable to a Washington trade. But the Commanders did not show much interest in the 49ers WR this offseason. Now, the Commanders are passing on Adams, who comes with a salary teams are not keen on paying.
Adams ignited Baltimore speculation by tweeting a picture of Edgar Allan Poe last week, but the Ravens have not discussed the wideout with the Raiders in several days. The Cowboys balked due to the Raiders’ insistence they pay all of Adams’ prorated salary, per The Athletic. Dallas was mentioned as a team who checked in with the Raiders but deemed not interested soon after. Other clubs are joining Jerry Jones‘ team.
The Saints and Jets are still in this, and veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson adds Derek Carr‘s injury — an oblique issue expected to cost the QB multiple games — does not change New Orleans’ interest in this big swing. The Steelers have reached out as well, per The Athletic, while the Bills are monitoring this situation. Buffalo joined Baltimore in deeming the Raiders’ asking price as too high, but the Bills being somewhat concerned about their receiver situation may change the equation. The Steelers have been looking at WRs since establishing Brandon Aiyuk trade framework.
While ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler points to the Saints as being a slight favorite here now, ESPN colleague Adam Schefter indicates (video link) Raiders talks with the Saints and Jets may be slowing down due to the Robert Saleh firing and Carr injury respectively affecting those respective teams. This somewhat contradicts Anderson’s account re: the Saints, but while Adams is still interested in being dealt to New York or New Orleans, this process does appear to have hit a lull.
The main reason for the slowdown: the Raiders’ hope they can unload Adams for strong draft compensation and convince the acquiring team to pay the entirety of his prorated base salary. At least one team negotiating with the Raiders was told the AFC West club does not intend to pay any of the wideout’s remaining 2024 base, Fowler adds. This hardline stance obviously will give teams pause about giving up a plus asset — the Raiders want a second-round pick and more — for a soon-to-be 31-year-old receiver who is due $11.92MM for the season’s remainder.
On the New Orleans front, Anderson adds the prospect of giving up a higher-end draft choice here has not gained much traction. While the Saints are known for their salary cap wizardry, they only hold $2.6MM in space as of Wednesday. Mickey Loomis‘ club would need to make significant adjustments to accommodate all of Adams’ money — to the point it might be a nonstarter for the Saints if the Raiders refuse paying any of Adams’ salary.
As for the Jets, The Athletic notes they are still talking to the Raiders despite having fired Saleh. That decision conceivably moves Joe Douglas closer to the chopping block, but the sixth-year GM is still running point on negotiations that will help the 2024 Jets. Considering the jobs on the line and Aaron Rodgers‘ urging for this reunion, it would surprise if New York was not in this until the end.
Adams had pledged continued support for the Raiders’ cause, denying trade rumors for a while, but Fowler adds the quarterback situation — which has featured a months-long, on-and-off competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell — has factored into the receiver’s decision to ask out. Adams displayed clear frustration during the Raiders’ short-lived Jimmy Garoppolo QB1 period, making it unsurprising a player who built a Hall of Fame case with Rodgers and produced first-team All-Pro numbers with Carr would want much more of the Raiders’ current situation.
That said, the onus for an Adams trade to take place as soon as possible falls on the Raiders, who are paying the disgruntled wideout nearly $1MM per week until he is dealt. The Raiders carry more than $26MM in cap space and need a long-term quarterback, making it a bit odd they are holding the line financially when paying some of Adams’ money would bring better trade compensation. Also complicating Adams’ situation: his hamstring injury will sideline him for Week 6, Fowler adds. A previous report pointed to Adams being ready for Week 6; a three-week injury absence stands to give teams more pause.
Adams requesting a meeting with Antonio Pierce to express his demand to be traded to a better team surprised his coach, according to The Athletic. Adams had stumped for Pierce to be elevated to the full-time HC post, but the parties’ relationship has deteriorated since. The Raiders said they would accommodate him due to not wanting uncommitted players. Adams was then informed of the Pierce Instagram like regarding a trade the next morning during his appearance on Up & Adams.
It should now be noted that Pierce is not slamming the door shut on Adams playing for the team again. Pierce said he and Adams have talked since the trade request surfaced, and it sounds like the Raiders — potentially in a posturing move — are open to keeping Adams.
“He is in good spirits, we talked … so everything’s good. … He is still a Raider. He has never not been a Raider,” Pierce said, via Tafur. “When he’s healthy and can play, we’ll play him. He’s working everyday to get that hamstring right and he’s in the right headspace mentally. Like I said, we talked recently, had a good conversation and he’s ready to play football.”
Unless Pierce’s Wednesday words do prompt a reconciliation, the Raiders are preparing to say goodbye to the first receiver they have seen snare first-team All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Cliff Branch in 1976. Teams will save more than $940K each week by waiting, as the NFL’s offseason deadline change resulted in a Nov. 5 trade endpoint for this year.
Every season the NFL turns into “90 Day Fiancé” lol
He’ll stay a Raider unless they pay some salary or accept a lesser draft pick.
Yeah, they’re not trading away the full contract and getting the return they want. They can offload the contract for a day 3 pick, absorb some cash and get the 2nd rounder they want, or they can keep him. To expect anything else is delusional. This is why poorly run franchises are continually bad.
That about sums it up.
You misspelled, “the jets will be idiots and give them both.”
who on earth would pay that contract?
Paying the contract is one thing, paying the contract AND giving up a high draft pick is another entirely. Any GM that agrees to this is probably getting canned… ah crap, Woody is gonna force this just like he forced JD to give in on Rodgers!
isn’t it like 45 mil against the cap for the next 2 seasons after this one?
that’s franchise QB money for a soon to be 32 year old receiver
then again, idk how his contract works , if they can just cut him after a year or 2 and save 80% per usual NFL business
would be nice if this article mentioned anything of substance about the contract
link to spotrac.com
30 second on google ,,, i have slow internet
actually these contracts are often more complicated than that, especially when it comes to trades
It’s not complicated. None of the remaining contract is guaranteed. New team could just cut him.
But obviously you don’t trade “a 2, plus” for a guy you likely would rather cut than keep.
So the TRADE will be complicated by that. Team getting him will either not want to give up much or will want to tear up the last two years and agree on a new “extension” before finalizing the trade.
What he said^
Criminally underrated movie
@goku
its actually very simple … look at the cash breakdown .. anything for future years that is base salary is non guaranteed and the bottom left tells of anything special like potential game workout bonuses and insurance guarantees etc etc.
basically adams is going to try and convince the team he deserves to be the highest aav wr next year or they release him at really no cost to them (depending on trade) or more likely they restructure / agree to new terms.
easy peazy lemon squeezy especially for the knowledgable one 🙂
or they release him at really no cost to them….easy peazy lemon squeezy
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Isn’t there like $15.7M of deferred cost that one of the teams will have to recognize if they release him?
30 second on google ,,, i have slow internet
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I have a feeling that it has already been covered, but FB contracts are a lot more complicated than BB contracts because of dead years built into the contract.
Just IMHO, Rumors should have a mini-specialist that provide some analysis behind what happens if the NYJ decline his next two years. The best approach, from what I’ve read would be to have the Raiders or the Jets to re-negotiate his current contract into something more reasonable.
But Rumors is far better equipped than I am to create that type of analysis.
appreciate everyone who helped clarify that
Yes, he has no guaranteed money left. So he is going to want a contract renegotiation as well haha
Which is exactly why he wants to be traded….no more guaranteed money.
Once again, I don’t understand what the Raiders are doing. Keeping him and paying his salary is the worst of all possibilities. We need picks more than salary relief. And Adams should just be the start of the purge. With Koonce and Wilkins out, we have virtually no shot at the playoffs.
Hopefully this is just posturing, but if Adams is still here after the deadline, I will be POd.
Doesn’t really matter…Antonio Pierce is a bust and he talks to much
Anyone that wants to play for the jets and saints over the Chiefs needs their head checked
if you are going to the chiefs there are still a lot of mouths to feed there and mahomes does do that pretty regularly. if you want to pad the stats to get those big dollars for next contract which adams is probably going to be looking to do next season. He wants to be the star and main focus.
So I very well can see someone doing that as the Jets receivers outside of wilson and even then seems like him and rodgers are not on the same page many times. Also Rodgers is qb and he will force feed him the ball every chance he gets. Also GM Rodgers will make sure his friends are taken care of as shown by hacket lazard and cobb last year.
Saints dont have a clear number one WR Olave maybe Shaheid probably the closest unless you including Kamara and Adams has his best friend from college there that fed him alot when they were together.
Remember some of these guys could care less about a ring or even winning. Some just care about the pockets being bulging and at his age i can see him going to the place that makes him the most money. Remember he went from the Packers to the Raiders when there were a host of teams im sure lining up for his services.
Exactly what mouths to feed are there on the chiefs? They just had juju have 130 Rec yards. Do you not think Adams isn’t immediately soaks those targets up? I do. Maybe I’m crazy but mahomes at QB with a clear cut role for 6-10 targets a game is way better than New York and that train wreck or the Saints starting a rookie 4th rounder for the next month.
That trade does not work because the teams play in the same division. The Raiders would get skewered if Adams goes off on them twice a year with Mahomes for the next couple of years. You don’t give good assets to division rivals.
He’s not a fit in run first Baltimore. And when not running, Lamar is distributing passes equally to catcher’s of the ball. Divas exempt.
Steelers need to get realistic, scenario seasons hoping for a titans win, a bills loss, and a falcons win or tie at the end of season is tiresome. This is where they are headed once again
Always trade a player one year too early than one year too late.
The Raiders should trade Davante Adams for himself. That would satisfy his need to be traded AND they would get to keep him. Everyone wins. Brilliant!!(⁸
I’m also out.
This changes everything.