At last week’s NFL trade deadline, the Las Vegas Raiders were in a bad place, coming off back-to-back terrible losses. As is the case, many front offices will target teams who are struggling to see if they are willing to trade away some key players, and that was exactly the case with the New York Jets, who were interested in Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams.
Adams was a popular name at the deadline as he had made his frustrations with the offense well known, and many wondered if he would want to be traded away from the Raiders. The Jets were curious, too, as they reportedly reached out to the Raiders about Adams’ availability, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN:
The Jets called the Raiders before Tuesday’s trade deadline to see whether there was any way Las Vegas would consider sending star wide receiver Davante Adams to New York, league sources told ESPN.
The Jets wanted to reunite Adams with former Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, add another wide receiver to complement Garrett Wilson and send a clear signal that they were doing everything possible to win this season.
And while the Jets would have loved to pair Adams with rising young star Garrett Wilson and ultimately reunite him with Aaron Rodgers, who was his quarterback in Green Bay, the Raiders made it clear they had no plans on dealing the All-Pro via Schefter:
Trading for Adams was a move the Jets had debated, discussed and planned for throughout the summer, sources told ESPN, as New York was waiting for the right moment to reach out to Las Vegas to land the three-time All-Pro.
But the Raiders, less than a day removed from a Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions and just hours before firing coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, told the Jets they were not interested in trading Adams, just as another source had said earlier Tuesday that there “was no chance in hell” that Las Vegas would trade away the six-time Pro Bowler.
Teams being interested in Adams is understandable, as he remains one of the best receivers in the NFL. But the Raiders know he is a player this team can continue to build around and, thus, have no desire to send him anywhere.
Coming off their best game of the season against the New York Giants, the Raiders have a bit of momentum and now have the chance to build on that against these same Jets, who will get a look at what they hoped to have up close and personal.
