Raiders insist on second-round pick Davante Adams; Team willing to pay part of WR salary?

Davante Adams has emerged as an early crown jewel of the NFL trade deadline, with several interested teams reaching out to him robber to estimate their desired compensation for the three-time All-Pro.

Adams' market is impacted by his large contract, ongoing injury and desire to work with both again Aaron Rodgers in New York or Derek Carr in New Orleans. The veteran receiver is owed just under $1 million per week for the remainder of the season, with a salary of $35.6 million and $36.6 million in 2025 and 2026, respectively, though There is no guaranteed money planned for any of the coming years. While several teams, including the Jets, could afford Adams' remaining 2024 salary without further financial action, others, like the Saints, would need to clear enough cap space to afford him.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Raiders are willing to eat up some of Adams' remaining salary to facilitate a trade. Chief Executive Officer Tom Telesco is looking for a second-round pick in exchange for Adams, possibly at the direction of the Raiders' owner Mark Daviswho has repeatedly expressed his desire to keep Adams in Las Vegas. Other league decision makers believe a third-round pick plus additional Day 3 capital or a depth player could be enough to get a deal done.

The Raiders were approached about Adams at the trade deadline last year, including an offer that Jones said was worth more than a second-round pick. Las Vegas has never seriously considered moving its star to space, a decision the team could come to regret if Adams is traded for less money in the coming weeks. Last year's trade deadline presented Davis with an interesting decision to keep Josh McDaniels And Dave Ziegler led his team before firing the HC-GM duo hours later. Meanwhile, Adams stayed and also expressed his desire to continue to remain in Las Vegas this offseason. That has now changed and his hamstring injury could see him progress in silver and black.

Adams' trade saga is further complicated by the injury, which has him sidelined for the second straight game after not practicing this week. The injury is minor but legitimate, so any acquiring team will want to make sure they get the best, healthiest version of Adams possible. Waiting for him to fully recover would also ease the financial burden on Adams' next team, as the Raiders will continue to pay his salary and per-game roster bonuses as long as he is on the active roster.

Adams is seeking a reunion with Rodgers after the duo's success in Green Bay Jets are one of the few teams that can fully afford his 2024 salary. However, the Raiders intend to start a bidding war to push their compensation closer to the second-round pick they want. Another half dozen teams have been linked to Adams, including the Saints, Steelers, Bills, Cowboys, Ravens, 49ers and Chiefs. Although the Cowboys have declined any interest, Adams still has a solid list of suitors that should help increase his trade value.

Team expectations will also play a role in negotiations: If multiple teams have made similar offers, the Raiders will try to predict which team will finish with the worst record and accept their deal, resulting in a better draft pick. The Steelers went about it this way Chase Claypool as of the 2022 deadline.

If the Jets are able to land Adams, some around the league believe they could look to sign a veteran receiver Mike Williams to create roster space and wide receiver snaps for their new All-Pro, according to Jones. Trading Williams would also free up $1.2 million in cap space for the Jets, making it a little easier to fit Adams into their budget, even though they would account for Williams' dead cap hit of 1.5 $5.9 million in 2024 and $5.9 million dead cap hit in 2025 (due to void years), according to OverTheCap.