In a scene that’s been building for quite some time, Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams made it clear Tuesday that he prefers to be traded. The timing of these events were a bit surprising, but according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the situation “has been brewing for a while.” Reed points out that, since Adams’ arrival in Las Vegas, the Raiders are just 16-22 and the wideout has been on the receiving end of passes from six different quarterbacks.
One catalyst for the recent developments could have been the official hiring of head coach Antonio Pierce after his term as interim HC last season. While Pierce’s official promotion was a popular decision among the players in Las Vegas, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that, lately, Pierce’s relationship with the team’s star receiver has been deteriorating. As a result, teams became aware Monday that Adams could be available in a trade, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.
Howe adds that “the general projection so far is” that Adams will draw a third-round draft pick in a trade, perhaps more if a team makes a harder push based on its level of interest. This doesn’t necessarily align with the Raiders’ desires as ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez informed readers that they would consider trading Adams “for a package that would include a second-round draft pick and additional compensation.”
The “additional compensation” part of that package may be a hard one to come by, though, as there seems to be an assumption that acquiring Adams will require some adjustments and restructuring to his current contract. According to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS, this would likely require teams to get access to communicate with Adams in order to negotiate a restructure.
Because of the potential commitment of capital that will be required for a restructured deal, it appears that teams are pushing for third-round compensation, as opposed to a second-rounder. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that an NFC team has shown interest in acquiring Adams, just not for a second-round pick. Anderson also posited that some teams may push for Las Vegas to absorb some of Adams’ 2024 salary, a sticking point that may make it difficult for Adams to be moved.
It’s an extremely fluid situation and the optics will likely continue to change over the coming days and weeks. For now, though, the Raiders are hoping for a second-round pick with some additional compensation, while other teams are hesitant to commit a second-round pick knowing they’re likely going to have to work out a new contract for the 31-year-old. It’s a situation to watch as things continue to develop.
