The Davante Adams trade is looking better and better for the Las Vegas Raiders in hindsight. At first, getting a third-round pick for a player who you just traded a first and second-round pick two years prior seems like a bad deal.
However, Adams and the Jets didn't do anything, and the wide receiver was released. For the Raiders, they took the third-round pick they got from the Adams trade and used it to acquire quarterback Geno Smith.
Swapping an aging diva wide receiver for a top-12 quarterback is a huge win for the Raiders. Say what you want about former general manager Tom Telesco, but he probably handled the Adams situation as best as he could.
Raiders have brighter future without Adams
Adams can spin the trade all he wants but in the long run, he was probably better off with the Raiders. Had he stayed and reworked his contract, he'd likely be making more money in 2025. He also wouldn't have tied himself to Aaron Rodgers so closely, who seems to be a toxic asset around the NFL.
He could've had a chance to play with Pete Carroll and Smith this season. An offense with Chip Kelly calling plays and Adams, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers catching passes from Smith would've had the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.
Instead, Adams is likely going to have to take a serious pay cut if he hopes to play for a contender. A reunion with the Raiders seems highly unlikely considering he disrespected the team every chance he got on the way out.
Fans probably don't even want to see him in Silver and Black again. Regardless, thanks Davante for helping jumpstart the Raiders' rebuild. Who knows where they'd be had they kept the diva wide receiver for the rest of the season.
