ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested over the weekend that the Las Vegas Raiders would not trade disgruntled wide receiver Davante Adams this week due to a lingering hamstring injury that could sideline Adams through at least this coming Sunday.
It appears the 2-3 Raiders are now in a hurry to get Adams out the door.
“As far as the Raiders and the receiver are concerned, they want him to have a new home sometime in the next 48 hours,” NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic revealed in a newsletter published on Monday.
Unsurprisingly, Russini named the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints as “the favorites” to land Adams. Adams previously played alongside Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans signal-caller Derek Carr as a pro, and Adams was also teammates with Carr at Fresno State.
Jets/NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated are among those who have reported Adams wants to reunite with Rodgers and have said the 31-year-old “is trying to get to the Jets.” On Monday, Hughes mentioned via X (formerly known as Twitter) that “the Raiders do not want to take on any of the money left on Adams’ contract,” which is noteworthy because the Jets “had a tighter budget this offseason.”
Hughes later added he still feels “the Jets are the frontrunners and ultimately” will acquire Adams.
The trade deadline is Nov. 5.
Russini said that the Raiders still want a second-round draft pick in return for Adams. With the win-now Jets at 2-3 and Rodgers already hobbled due to multiple physical setbacks, it seems likely that New York general manager Joe Douglas would want to get Adams in the building as soon as possible.
The Jets may be looking for the Raiders to lower their asking price for Adams assuming Russini is right about Las Vegas wanting to come to terms on a trade agreement by Wednesday. However, every second that passes leaves the door open for the Saints and other receiver-needy teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs to swoop in and win the Adams sweepstakes.
In short, Douglas may find that patience isn’t a virtue in this situation.