Getty Raiders star Davante Adams, still awaiting a trade.
The Raiders are heading into Week 6 with a 2-3 record, with a new quarterback (who’s actually their old quarterback) and—most important—with a disgruntled star wide receiver still on the roster, even as he continues to sit out with a hamstring injury. The receiver is Davante Adams and while the expectation remains that he could be traded this week, nothing new has happened on that front.
We could be getting one clue as to why. Adams, of course, is an expensive piece for a contender to add, even considering that there is an out on his contract after this season that makes him, effectively, a rental for any team that trades for him.
Adams signed a five-year, $140 million contract with the Raiders in 2022, but only $65 million of that was guaranteed. His 2025 ($44 million) and 2026 (also $44 million) were never really going to be picked up by the Raiders, or anyone.
Subtracting his signing bonus and restructure agreements, Adams has a salary of about $17 million this year, and that’s not an easy number for a new team to swallow. Making matters more difficult: ESPN reporting says that the Raiders have made a decision on Adams, determining that they want a trading partner to swallow that number, whole.
Raiders ‘Don’t Plan to Front Any of the Bill’
The report comes from site insider Jeremy Fowler, who writes of a potential Adams trade:
“Speaking of Adams, the Raiders have told at least one team involved in a potential trade they don’t plan to front any of the bill on his $16.89 million salary. Perhaps negotiations change that, but that has been the perceived stance from Las Vegas.”
The Raiders do have the option of eating some of Adams’ salary, to make a trade more palatable to a new team. Having the Raiders take back another player would mitigate some of that salary crunch, but a team like the Saints—considered a frontrunner for Adams—would need to work some financial gymnastics to squeeze Adams onto the roster.
By Over The Cap’s calculations, the Saints have just $2.5 million in cap space. The Ravens, another potential Raiders trade partner, have only $4.5 million. The Chiefs have $4.2 million.
The longer a team waits to make a trade for Adams, though, the lesser the cap hit. There are seventeen weeks in a season, and $17 million on Adams’ contract, so the cap hit drops about $1 million per week. The more the trading team can drag out the process, the cheaper Adams becomes.
Davante Adams Hamstring a Concern
Of course, the Raiders could speed the process by agreeing to eat some Adams salary. But realistically, the Raiders have little incentive to do so—they want the best deal possible and are not all that concerned about that deal having to wait a couple more weeks.
It’s not healthy for the team to have to deal with the Adams drama, but the bigger issue, long-term, is that the Raiders get a good draft pick in return.
That could be an incentive, in the end, to change course for the Raiders. A team could offer the Raiders a package headlined by a third-round pick, but dangle a willingness to bump it up to a second-rounder if the Raiders take on some of Adams’ money.
There is also the matter of the hamstring injury. While many have assumed it is a ruse to keep Adams off the field until a trade can be consummated, Fowler writes that it’s a legit injury.
“Multiple teams that have looked into Adams are unsure whether he would be ready to play this week, due to a hamstring injury. That’s something to keep in mind, especially with Adams due nearly $1 million per week,” he noted.
