Davante Adams trade grades: Kudos to Jets for pushing all in; why did Raiders wait so long?

The Las Vegas Raiders traded wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

If Adams becomes a first- or second-team All-Pro, or he’s on the active roster for the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, the pick will convert to a second-rounder. The Jets will pay the balance of Adams’ $11.59 million salary, including per-game roster bonuses.

Why they made the deal

Because both the Raiders and the Jets had no choice.

The Jets are all in during their Aaron Rodgers window, and the 40-year-old quarterback has been close with Adams since their incredible eight-year run together with the Green Bay Packers that resulted in 622 receptions, 7,590 and 69 TDs in 108 game. While Adams is no longer viewed as the best wideout in the league, the 31-year-old is still more than capable of cranking out dominant performances. He tallied 103 catches for 1,144 and eight touchdowns last season despite poor quarterback play amid a tumultuous season for the Raiders organization.

The Jets (2-4) need a boost, too. Rodgers has looked good in spurts and had his best game of the season Monday night against the Bills, which doubled as Todd Downing’s first crack as the offensive play-caller, but the Jets still need more juice if they’re going to elevate to the point where they can be considered a threat to win a playoff game, let alone qualify for the postseason.

The Jets gave up a couple of second-round picks to land Rodgers, then stacked the books with a $63 million cap penalty in his void year in 2026, and they’ve already reunited him with a group of his favorite teammates. The post-Rodgers roster reset will be rocky, so the Jets have been determined to do everything possible to try to make it worth it while the quarterback is still wearing green.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams generated the most completions (343), yards (3,095), and touchdowns (35) on quick passes by a QB-receiver duo from 2016 to 2021.

This season, Rodgers has recorded a 2.55-second time to throw, the 3rd-quickest in the NFL.@nyjets | #JetUp pic.twitter.com/Agfo7NPOlZ

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 15, 2024

The Raiders again appear to be forging through another lost season, and Adams wanted out. Teams knew Sept. 30 that Adams was available, according to league sources. Once word got out the Raiders would pursue the trade, this outcome became predictable. It just became a question of compensation.

The Raiders have a lengthy rebuild ahead, the result of firing two head coaches at midseason since 2021. Their franchise quarterback isn’t on the roster. Perhaps more trades lie ahead. There was little point in keeping Adams, who may be retired by the time the Raiders are back in the playoffs.

Trade grade (Jets): B-plus

If Adams becomes an All-Pro, the Jets will gladly pay the extra price. If they get to the Super Bowl because of Adams, they’ll deliver the second-round trade card to the Raiders on a Macy’s Day Parade float.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, reunited. pic.twitter.com/LYHNZ8gdlo

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 15, 2024

The Jets held firm on the Raiders’ demands for a second-rounder. Eventually, it seemed like some level of conditions would need to be agreed upon for an improved pick, and these conditions assure the Jets that there will be no buyer’s remorse if they’re met.

The Jets’ long-term vision is scary, but they’re desperate. They haven’t been to the playoffs in 14 years and have six postseason victories during Woody Johnson’s quarter century as the owner, so the desperation is understandable.

The fear, of course, is what if none of this was worth it? Then they’ll eventually take on a rebuild far more treacherous than any they’ve had in quite some time.

But where’s the bar on determining whether these Rodgers-driven moves were worth it? The most direct answer is a Super Bowl.

But the indirect answers? Perhaps Adams reinvigorates Rodgers’ desire to play longer than another year. Maybe the Jets create enough momentum this season to attract more veterans to jump onboard in free agency. It’s possible Rodgers and Adams show enough the rest of the way that the Jets can lure their top head coaching target who can usher in an improved culture that lasts beyond Rodgers’ tenure. (No, not Bill Belichick.)

Aaron Rodgers on Davante Adams in 2020: “I’m better because of him, as a person and quarterback.”

And Davante in 2020: “(Rodgers) is the best quarterback in the NFL, and I’m the best wide receiver in the NFL. And the way that we jell, I don’t think that anybody else is doing it…

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 15, 2024

AFC teams have to make aggressive moves to chase down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jets have already cannonballed into those waters. Good on them for following all the way through.

Adams won’t help the run defense that’s been gashed a few times already through six games. He probably can’t do much to repair whatever damage has been caused by firing Robert Saleh.

Since the 2021 Raiders are the only team in the Super Bowl era to qualify for the playoffs with an interim head coach, the odds are long for the Jets to create any postseason magic in a few months. But they’re going for it, and there’s something to be said for that.

Trade grade (Raiders) : C

Prior to the start of the season, rival executives anticipated the Raiders could get to this point with Adams. So the Raiders are getting docked in the grade for either overlooking this scenario themselves or holding out hope a little too long that they could contend for the playoffs. An offseason trade could have netted a firm second-round pick, maybe even more.

Then when it was obvious Adams would get traded, the Raiders held out for two weeks with the hope that they’d get more than a third-rounder without eating any of his salary. So, if this was a trade largely motivated by finances, the Raiders didn’t help themselves by waiting. They could have saved nearly an additional $1.9 million by moving Adams two weeks ago.

It’d also be fair to criticize the Raiders for prioritizing money over trade compensation. If they retained all but the minimum balance of Adams’ base salary — roughly $10.5 million — the Raiders would have gotten a better pick in return, either a firm second-rounder or at least better conditions on the trade terms.

General manager Tom Telesco is viewed as a conservative trader, particularly with the draft, so this may be a moot point. But if the Raiders need to move up in the draft for their preferred quarterback, they may regret the decision to not improve their chances to pocket an extra second-rounder.

On the plus side, league executives told The Athletic two weeks ago Adams’ trade value was likely a third-round pick. So the Raiders deserve some credit that the door is at least cracked for them to exceed that value.