Davante will be staying with Raiders, GM says
INDIANAPOLIS — At the trade deadline last October, the Jets reached out to the Raiders about trading for star receiver Davante Adams.
Las Vegas shut down Gang Green’s request. Four months later, the Raiders are still not interested in trading the six-time Pro Bowl receiver.
“He’s a Raider,” Las Vegas general manager Tom Telesco told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, NFL Network reported that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had been actively recruiting Adams, his former teammate for eight seasons in Green Bay. But the Raiders, to this point, do not want to trade Adams.
In 2022, the Packers traded Adams to the Raiders in exchange for a first-round and second-round pick. Las Vegas then signed Adams to a five-year, $141.25 million contract. He has three seasons left on his deal, including a full guarantee of his $16.89 million base salary for 2024.
During his two seasons with the Raiders, the team has a 14-20 record. Adams voiced his displeasure with his usage when Josh McDaniels was the coach of the Raiders.
However, he advocated for the Raiders to make Antonio Pierce the team’s full-time coach after they fired McDaniels in October. In Pierce’s nine games as interim coach, the Raiders were 5-4.
“It’s obviously who I wanted, and he’s my vote,” Adams said last month about Pierce. “I’ve been vocal about that, and that’s basically how the whole locker room feels, and with good reason. He’s come in and done a great job.
“He’s continued to win us over. It’s not just the comfortable thing, I think having AP here would be good for this organization. He embodies what it means to be a Raider. That mentality, that swag, all the things that he endorses are the things that I believe in. Definitely rooting for him.”
Adams, 31, finished last season with 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns. It was the fifth time during the previous six seasons he’s registered at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards. However, it was his lowest receiving yards total since 2019.
It appears Adams is happy in Las Vegas, and Telesco, who was named the general manager last month, isn’t about to trade the Raiders’ top receiver.
The Jets will now have to pivot to other receiver options this offseason. On Monday, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins.
Other free agent options for the Jets could include Buccaneers’ Mike Evans, Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr., Jaguars’ Calvin Ridley, and Cardinals’ Marquise Brown.