The low stakes drama of Davante Adams’ trade request is over. The Las Vegas Raiders reunited the three-time All-Pro with Aaron Rodgers by trading him to the New York Jets.
It’s a big move from a Jets team that has yet to see a meaningful return on its investment in Rodgers. The four-time MVP missed all but four plays of the 2023 season thanks to a torn Achilles. He’s taken nearly 97 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2024, but that’s only translated to a 2-4 record and a quarterback in the midst of his least efficient season as a pro.
Thus, action — a deal similar to the Randy Moss trade that once shipped a different star wideout out of the Raiders’ locker room. Like Moss, Adams is being dealt for a mid-draft pick. If he hits certain production benchmarks, it could become a second rounder for Las Vegas.
Compensation update: The trade for Davante Adams is expected to get finalized today, per sources.
It will be for a conditional 3rd-round pick that can go to a second-round pick, per source. pic.twitter.com/qZfL2DoQ6j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 15, 2024
This is a big swing that may not be the fix New York needs. Mike Williams was supposed to be the recognizable veteran wideout who stood as Rodgers’ huckleberry on clutch throws. Instead, he’s been usurped by Allen Lazard, who was a healthy scratch late in the 2023 season. Williams’ most notable contribution to Week 6’s loss to the Buffalo Bills was a slip that allowed Taron Johnson to make a game-sealing interception after Rodgers failed to get him the ball on time for what could have been a massive gain.
Aaron Rodgers may never throw another pass to Mike Williams again pic.twitter.com/wRkuKmid0W
— Jake Eckberg (@JakeEckbergNFL) October 15, 2024
Adams brings name value to the Jets lineup. Expecting him to vault back to this 2021 form is a fool’s errand. Rodgers has showcased some of the superhuman athleticism that made him impossible to plan against in Green Bay this season, but he’s been erratic and inefficient in stretches. His 84.4 passer rating and 6.4 yards per attempt are both career lows.
Adams’ production has similarly waned as he’s edged closer to retirement age. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has been good the last two seasons, but not great — think Pro Bowl talent instead of All-Pro.
Playing with lesser quarterback talent like Aidan O’Connell and Jimmy Garoppolo shares some of the blame, but his yards per route run — a useful indicator of how a wideout maximizes his passing plays — has dropped from 2.36 in 2022 (ninth-best in the NFL) to 1.96 in 2023 to 1.63 this fall. That 2024 number ranks 39th in the league, right behind Nelson Agholor and just in front of Lazard.
The true value here may be freeing up space for Garrett Wilson. The young wideout has 33 targets his last two games, hauling in 100-plus yards in a pair of Jets losses as what’s been mostly a short-range threat. Adams can stand out on throws five to 15 yards downfield and command double-teams, freeing Wilson up for bigger things — notable, since the third-year receiver’s average target depth has dropped each of the last two years.
Adams can be a rising tide for this offense even if he doesn’t put up a 1,000-yard pace. That made this deal too important to pass up. It also furthers the narrative Rodgers has more sway in roster-building decisions than he lets on — a trait he denied after last Tuesday’s firing of deposed head coach Robert Saleh but something that absolutely seems to have some basis in fact.
Rodgers needed help. He got it from a familiar source — something Rodgers loves, as showcased by the migration of Lazard and Randall Cobb to New York after 2022. The Jets made a move that will improve their offense in the short term and keep the most important player in the locker room happy.
That’s a win in a season that’s been short on them. We’ll see if the All-Pro platoon can spark some of their old magic and get the Jets back to the postseason for the first time since 2010.
