HENDERSON, Nev. — After well over a year of denying rumors about his unhappiness, Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams reversed course Tuesday when he requested a trade, according to a team source with direct knowledge of the situation. NFL Network was the first to report the news, and the Raiders have told teams they would consider trade packages for Adams that included a second-round pick and additional compensation, per league and team sources.
The Raiders are 2-2 after beating the visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Though Adams didn’t play due to a hamstring injury, he was present on the sideline.
While the timing of the trade request came as a surprise, this has been brewing for some time. Since acquiring Adams from the Green Bay Packers in 2022, the Raiders have gone just 16-22 and don’t look particularly close to becoming contenders ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline.
Adams has publicly expressed his frustration with the team’s performance numerous times. While the Raiders had previously declined any trade offers for Adams, the signs of a rift emerged Monday when a screenshot circulated on social media that appeared to show coach Antonio Pierce “liking” an Instagram post insinuating Adams could be traded.
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It’s no coincidence that, shortly thereafter, it was reported that Adams asked for a move.
If the Raiders dealt him, they’d free up about $17.5 million in immediate cap space while incurring dead money hits of $7.85 million in 2024 and $15.7 million in 2025, according to Spotrac. A team that acquired Adams would be on the hook for his remaining base salary, which is currently about $13.5 million, according to Over the Cap. Adams is under contract through 2026 but has no guaranteed salary remaining on the deal beyond this season.
Raiders owner Mark Davis, general manager Tom Telesco and Pierce will be tasked with figuring out how to handle Adams’ trade request.
As part of a hypothetical exercise, beat writers at The Athletic covering teams that could be interested in Adams came up with potential trade offers. Here’s a look at the eight proposals — plus a decision from the Raiders.
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Offer: 2025 third- and fifth-round picks for Adams
Look, this is probably an unlikely partnership. The Ravens needed to do several contract restructures a few weeks ago to even get cap compliant, and GM Eric DeCosta has been forthcoming about how difficult it would be to add another significant contract anytime soon.
Baltimore also is a run-first team that’s barely getting the ball to the top pass catchers currently on its roster. (Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews have four combined catches over the past two weeks.) So it’s fair to be skeptical that they’d get enough bang for their buck by adding another target, even one as good as Adams.
However, the Ravens are annually connected to every veteran receiver looking for a new home, and DeCosta loves to throw his hat in the ring when an accomplished player is available. The Ravens would need a lot of help from the Raiders (and potentially Adams) to make the contract numbers work, but it doesn’t hurt to make a call. And the Ravens are sitting on several compensatory 2025 draft picks, so the compensation shouldn’t be prohibitive. — Jeff Zrebiec
Offer: A 2025 third-round pick and CB Kaiir Elam for Adams and a 2025 seventh-round pick
The Bills have had promising early returns on slot receiver Khalil Shakir, rookie Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. However, the rest of the receiver group rings hollow without a prominent top option. In a quest to reach the Super Bowl in a wide-open AFC, they could use a receiver of Adams’ caliber, if only for one season, to complete an already imposing offense.
As for the offer, the Bills have some draft picks to play with in 2025 but only a little cap space ($3.2 million) and are low on contracts to restructure. If the Raiders were willing to eat the majority of Adams’ remaining base salary, the Bills could make it work. — Joe Buscaglia
Offer: A 2025 third-round pick and WR Jalen Brooks for Adams
The Raiders will likely have better offers, but it’s difficult for the Cowboys to give up much more in terms of future draft picks. They recently made Dak Prescott the league’s highest-paid player and receiver CeeDee Lamb the second-highest-paid non-quarterback. They plan to eventually sign Micah Parsons to a deal that will likely make him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Dallas is going to need as much draft help as possible to fill out its future rosters.
A seventh-round pick in 2023, Brooks is entering his second season. He has good size and upside. The Cowboys could also be willing to part with Jalen Tolbert in a different deal with a lesser draft pick. The 2022 third-round pick has been Dallas’ second-most-productive receiver through four games.
The Cowboys have bigger areas of concern, like along the defensive line and at running back, but there is something about receivers that has always intrigued owner/GM Jerry Jones. He has hit on draft picks like Dez Bryant and Lamb, but he has also been willing to do whatever is needed to add big-play veterans. He traded two first-round picks for Joey Galloway in 2000. He signed Terrell Owens in 2006. He traded first-, third- and sixth-round picks for Roy Williams in 2008. He traded a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in 2018. — Jon Machota
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Jets, Steelers interested in trading for Davante Adams
Offer: WR Tutu Atwell and a 2025 fourth-round pick for Adams
This would probably only be in consideration if the Rams believe they can salvage their season after a 1-3 start. They can’t simply rely on Cooper Kupp, who could return after the bye week from an ankle injury, to stay healthy after his third consecutive truncated season. Puka Nacua is likely to miss more than the minimum four games on injured reserve. Coach Sean McVay has struggled to find a full-time role for Atwell, who is a speed threat with some value despite his diminished role, and the Rams are likely to examine their roster for movable assets they don’t plan on extending this spring.
The thought of pairing Adams with Matthew Stafford, not to mention getting at least one offensive lineman back from injured reserve for the season’s second half, makes Rams fans feel tingly inside. Les Snead should at least make the call. — Jourdan Rodrigue
Offer: A 2025 third-round pick for Adams
I’ve always looked at Chris Olave like Brandin Cooks when he was drafted by the Saints. Either could serve as a No. 1 wide receiver, but neither feels like a sure-fire No. 1. Add the rapport Adams already has with quarterback Derek Carr (they spent two years together at Fresno State and played together for the Raiders in 2022), and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Saints were interested in Adams. A trio of Adams, Olave and Rashid Shaheed would be dynamite.
A second-round pick seems like too much to pay for Adams, though, as he’s set to turn 32 in December. The Raiders only received a fourth-rounder for Randy Moss back in 2007, and Moss was almost two years younger at that point.
Also, salary-cap gymnastics always tie into what the Saints can do. New Orleans has less than $3 million in cap space right now and is currently more than $80 million over the 2025 salary cap, via Over the Cap. Fitting Adams’ contract would be quite a challenge. — Larry Holder
The relationship between Davante Adams and Derek Carr goes back to their days together at Fresno State. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Offer: 2025 third- and fifth-round picks and a 2026 fourth-round pick for Adams
If the Raiders care about making Adams happy — maybe they don’t based on their decisions at quarterback — the Jets are the most obvious destination. Aaron Rodgers has been teasing the idea of reuniting with his old friend since he joined the Jets and the two hung out the night before their teams’ matchup last November.
The Jets haven’t gotten the production out of Garrett Wilson they hoped for, and adding Adams would certainly help that. If they truly are in win-now mode, this is an obvious move that would make their quarterback happy — though the bigger question is whether owner Woody Johnson will be willing to pay Adams’ salary for the remainder of the season or if the Jets will attempt to get the Raiders to eat some of it themselves.
Anyway, this is the Jets’ offer. Please give Aaron back his friend. — Zack Rosenblatt
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Offer: A 2025 second-round pick for Adams
The Steelers’ need at receiver is obvious. Before the season, Pittsburgh nearly traded for Brandon Aiyuk, even though it would have meant giving up significant compensation and then paying the receiver more than star defender T.J. Watt. Having missed out on Aiyuk, the Steelers have been hurting for quality depth at the position. Pittsburgh receivers not named George Pickens have combined for 19 catches for 226 yards through four games.
While the Raiders might want a second-round pick and more, GM Omar Khan has shown he’s a firm negotiator who will not move far off his initial offer. For that reason, let’s say the Steelers offer a second-round pick and nothing more. Would that be enough, considering Adams’ age and hefty salary-cap hit? To me, the Raiders making it public that they want a second-round pick suggests the price could be bargained down.
Or if the Raiders want to backfill Adams’ spot, the Steelers could offer Calvin Austin III — who has seven catches this season for 125 yards and a touchdown — and either a second- or third-round pick.
As for Adams’ contract, Khan made a name for himself finding creative ways to manipulate the salary cap. Should the Steelers acquire Adams, they’d likely find some way to restructure his deal to make it more team-friendly. — Mike DeFabo
Offer: A conditional 2025 third-round pick, a 2026 seventh-round pick and WR Dyami Brown for Adams
This spring and summer, Washington was mentioned as a potential destination whenever a high-profile wide receiver entered the trade rumor chat. That was despite GM Adam Peters coveting draft picks and conducting the offseason with a long-term view. What’s new is that the Commanders are 3-1 and leading the NFC East, thanks mainly to an efficient offense led by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Still, Washington will eventually need more offensive playmakers. Daniels is thriving with Terry McLaurin, who like Adams has zero guaranteed money on his contract after this season, and an assortment of role players at receiver. With the quarterback on his rookie deal, the organization may decide to meet the moment aggressively.
Would Adams accept new terms of one year plus a team option for 2026 for around $45 million? Are the Raiders down for picking up some of the 2024 salary? Are the Commanders willing to break from their big-picture approach by dealing a conditional 2025 pick that could jump to a third-rounder plus some extras? Let’s see if this magical ride is still floating in two weeks and if Washington takes action. — Ben Standig
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The decision
The Raiders are in no rush to trade Adams. If they don’t receive an offer they like, they’ll have no issue waiting until the Nov. 5 trade deadline to make a decision. If there’s no good offer on the table at that point, they could even drag things out into the offseason.
That said, it’d be much cleaner to get a trade done soon that allows both Adams and the Raiders to go their separate ways. The Raiders want to remain competitive this season and would be open to exploring trades including players who could help immediately, but the two most attractive offers here wound up being exclusively comprised of picks.
The Steelers offered the highest selection in their 2025 second-round pick, which would be No. 57 based on their current record. The Jets offered the deepest collection with their third- (No. 82) and fifth-round (No. 155) picks in 2025 along with a fourth-rounder in 2026. According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the Steelers’ second-round pick is worth 330. The Jets’ three picks would amount to 265.4 points.
While the cumulative value of the Jets’ three picks is fairly close to a late second-round selection, the Steelers’ offer is better. Adams would likely prefer to reunite with Rodgers in New York, but he doesn’t have a no-trade clause and can’t control where he lands.
Adams does have some leverage, however. He has massive base salaries of $35,640,000 in 2025 and $36,640,000 in 2026. Although none of that money is guaranteed, any team that acquires him would likely need to restructure his contract to get his cap hit down next season. If Adams wants to dictate where he lands, he could theoretically refuse to restructure his contract for particular teams.
Adams also could create leverage for himself if the Raiders find themselves needing to convert his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus to maximize their return for him. The Steelers, for example, don’t have enough cap space to absorb Adams’ full base salary. Adams would have to agree to restructure his contract for the Raiders to make that base salary more manageable. If Adams doesn’t like a potential destination, he could refuse to restructure for that team.
Barring Adams making things ugly, the Raiders would take the Steelers’ offer. It’d make them worse this season but, between the cap space saved and the draft capital gained, they would set themselves up to have a deeper cache of resources to improve down the line. For a team likely to find itself in the quarterback market once again next offseason, that’ll come in handy.
(Top photo: Chris Unger / Getty Images)
