2024-10-16 02:55:03
NEW YORK — The New York Jets are finalizing a deal to acquire wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, CBS News New York confirms.
The move will reunite Adams with his former Green Bay Packers teammate and Jets star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
New York is sending a conditional third-round pick in next year’s draft that could become a second-rounder, pending Adams’ physical, a source with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. NFL Network was the first to report the trade.
The deal comes amid major changes in the Jets’ locker room after the firing of head coach Robert Saleh last week. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich took over as interim head coach for Monday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills in the race for first in their division.
Rodgers threw a Hail Mary just before halftime but was also intercepted on the final drive for a second straight week. It was a game marked by penalties, mistakes and missed opportunities on offense and dropped the Jets to 2-4.
“It’s frustrating,” Rodgers said. “I’m here to win those games, but we’ve got to be on our details. It’s little things every single time.”
Following Saleh’s mid-season firing, rumors started circulating that Rodgers had a hand in the shakeup, but the future Hall of Famer refuted the allegations in an interview the next day, calling them “patently false.”
Here’s what Davante Adams offers the Jets offense
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Adams, who missed the Raiders’ last three games with a hamstring injury, reportedly told the team he wanted out of Las Vegas — and the team was willing to accommodate his request.
And now he’s back with Rodgers, the quarterback with whom he enjoyed eight seasons of success catching passes from in Green Bay.
It seemed inevitable, especially when the Jets reportedly showed interest in Adams last year at the NFL trade deadline. Rodgers said at a celebrity golf tournament over the summer: “I love Davante. I can’t wait to play with him … again.” With a smile, Rodgers said during training camp he meant on the golf course, but it was enough to fuel speculation that at some point — somehow — the Jets would move to bring in Adams.
Now the Jets have made a major deal to bring in Adams, one of Rodgers’ best friends and favorite teammates. Adams has caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns, all in Green Bay. That’s the most in all three categories between any combination of active players.
The 31-year-old Adams immediately boosts a Jets offense that has been inconsistent through the first part of the season. The three-time All-Pro joins Garrett Wilson to give Rodgers two No. 1-caliber wide receivers to throw to, complementing fellow receivers Mike Williams, Allen Lazard and Xavier Gipson, tight end Tyler Conklin and running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
Adams’ departure from Las Vegas was expected after reports surfaced that he no longer wanted to be there — and the Jets immediately became a likely landing spot because of his relationship with Rodgers.
In his weekly appearance on the “Up & Adams Show” two weeks ago, Adams said he hadn’t heard from Antonio Pierce since the Raiders coach appeared to like a social media post about possibly trading Adams.
That was the first sure sign that a split could be coming, though an Adams trade has long been speculated given several statements he has made for more than a year. That included clear frustration he showed on the Netflix documentary series “Receiver” in which Adams’ season was among those featured.
Adams remains one of the NFL’s top receivers, even at nearly 32, because of his precise route running and ability to catch passes, even while double teamed. He caught 103 passes last season for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns. It was his fifth 1,000-yard season in six years, broken up only by the 997 yards Adams had in 2019.
He has caught 18 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games this season.
The Raiders gave up a major haul in 2022 to get Adams when they sent the Packers first- and second-round picks in that year’s draft and made Adams the highest-paid receiver at the time with a five-year, $140 million contract, with nearly $66 million guaranteed.
His final two years in 2025 and 2026 are not guaranteed. Adams’ salary-cap hit rises from $25.35 million this season to $44.1 million each of the next two years, according to Spotrac. ESPN reported the Jets will assume the balance of Adams’ remaining salary.
