The worst-kept secret in football is that the New York Jets are interested in bringing in Davante Adams to rejoin Aaron Rodgers when he returns from his Achilles injury. The only question is when a deal could be made with the Las Vegas Raiders to make that dream a reality.
Following Wednesday morning’s news, that reality could be drawing a lot closer.
Las Vegas cleaned house after a dismal 3-5 start to the season including the most recent 26-14 loss to Detroit. Head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi were all fired from the Raiders as they look to move past the troubling last couple of years. With Vegas in a clear reset mode, that leaves several of their top players in limbo during the upcoming offseason. A new front office could decide to clean house and begin a new rebuild.
That leaves a player like Adams on the block and the Jets a team that could easily come calling.
It’s almost too simple.
By the time the 2024 offseason rolls around, the Jets will have clarity on their 2024 draft situation. While Rodgers will not reach the 65% snap threshold this year, New York will not be granted the optioned first-round pick back until the end of the year. Any trade for an All-Pro wide receiver would need to essentially wait for that to happen.
Tuesday evening’s Trade Deadline was the perfect example of this. While New York was active in talks about Adams and even Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, neither of the teams was willing to make a move for their top wide receivers without the guarantee of a top pick going back.
Luckily for Gang Green, they won’t have to wait too long for their next crack at a top receiver opposite young superstar Garrett Wilson. Should the Raiders look to sell some of their top talents for the sake of a long rebuild, players like Adams could be moved for less than the original asking price. Should Adams apply pressure to go to the Jets, there would be even more leverage on the side of New York.
The beauty of the Jets to move for a player like Adams is that they have the cap flexibility to make a move. Adams is due close to $17 million in salary next season with a cap hit of $25 million. He has a potential out after the 2024 season while carrying a dead cap hit of just $15 million. New York is expected to have over $30 million in cap space according to Over the Cap – plenty of room for a player of Adams’ contract.
A deal like this would be a no-brainer for an organization looking to end its playoff drought. At 4-3 this season, New York was quiet during the trade deadline while protecting their future assets.
Those assets could be in play for the best receiver in football in the offseason.
All steam ahead on the Jets hype train once again!
