Raiders trade Adams to Jets

The Las Vegas Raiders traded star wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets on Tuesday in exchange for a third-round pick, the team announced.

The conditional third-round selection that now belongs to the Raiders will become a second-rounder if Adams claims an All-Pro nod or the Jets reach the AFC title game with Adams on the active roster, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Jets have an extra third-round choice in 2025 after making a trade with the Detroit Lions during the 2024 draft.

Las Vegas reportedly won't pay any of Adams' remaining salary.

Adams restructured his contract to lower his cap hit for this season down to $3.21 million while also adding two voidable years to his deal, Schefter reports. The Jets plan to discuss Adams' future with the franchise after the season.

Adams reportedly informed Las Vegas recently that he wanted to be traded. He was in Year 3 with the Raiders, who acquired him as part of a blockbuster trade from the Green Bay Packers during the 2022 offseason.

In New York, Adams will reunite with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as they formed one of the NFL's best duos with the Packers from 2014-21. Adams earned two first-team All-Pro nods in Green Bay and led the league with 18 TD catches in 2020.

"He opens up everything, particularly having that relationship with the quarterback. That's very important," Jets owner Woody Johnson said of Adams on Tuesday, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

The Jets and New Orleans Saints were reportedly high on Adams' list of preferred destinations due to his familiarity with the teams' respective quarterbacks. However, New Orleans passer Derek Carr - Adams' college QB at Fresno State - is dealing with an oblique injury that's reportedly expected to sideline him for multiple games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders were reportedly also interested in acquiring Adams. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills were linked to Adams as well, but the wideout's salary was seemingly an issue for those teams due to their cap situations.

Adams, 31, appeared in 37 games for Las Vegas, catching 221 passes for 2,869 yards and 23 touchdowns. Adams made three appearances this year but has missed three straight contests due to a hamstring injury.

Adams has recorded 890 career receptions, 10,990 yards, and 96 touchdown catches, the latter being the second-best mark in the NFL since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2014.

With Adams teaming up with Garrett Wilson, the Jets instantly form one of the league's best receiver duos. Wilson - a two-time 1,000-yard wideout - leads New York with 41 receptions and 399 yards this year. He's also scored three touchdowns, the second most on the team behind Allen Lazard (five). Wilson seemingly reacted to the Adams trade on social media.

The AFC East club also signed Mike Williams in free agency, but the veteran wideout has caught just 10 passes this season. New York is expected to attempt to trade Williams after landing Adams, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

New York suffered a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football that dropped the team to 2-4. Rodgers said postgame that Williams ran the wrong route on the fourth-quarter play that resulted in a Bills interception to seal the game.

The Adams trade isn't a reaction to Monday's loss, as the deal was essentially in place before the Jets' Week 6 kickoff, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

It was the club's first game with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich on the sideline instead of Robert Saleh, who was fired last week. The Jets also recently demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, giving their play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Todd Downing.

Landing Adams is the latest major move by a desperate Jets team that hasn't made the playoffs since the 2010 season.