Davante Adams has been everything that the Raiders had hoped for when they acquired him prior to the 2022 season. He has been a dominant No. 1 receiver who has consistently produced despite up-and-down quarterback play.
But going into his age 31 season, did the Raiders make a mistake by not considering a trade this offseason? One very prominent media member thinks so.
In a recent article by Seth Walder of ESPN, he ranked the offseason moves by all 32 teams in 2024. The Raiders ranked at No. 31, just ahead of the Saints. And the move that Walder hated the most was not trading away Adams ahead of the draft. Here is why he believes the Raiders made a mistake with their All-Pro receiver:
The biggest failure was not trading Adams, which is almost inexcusable in the Raiders’ current state. The 31-year-old wide receiver has one cheap year left on his contract ($17.5 million for a trading team) and Las Vegas needed to cash in for draft capital now.
Instead, it is running out the clock on a depreciating asset. Likewise, the Raiders ought to have traded down and acquired future assets that could have been used on or to support a future quarterback.
It’s possible that the Raiders shopped Adams this offseason, but they just didn’t receive an offer that was worth moving him. There is also a chance that the Raiders had no interest in moving Adams as they want their young quarterbacks to have a No. 1 receiver to target while they are still developing.
But it’s also worth noting that this option isn’t closed yet for Las Vegas. If the Raiders start the season off slow, there will be plenty of teams interested in Adams if the Raiders want to start acquiring future draft capital. While we don’t expect that to happen, it’s worth noting that it is still on the table.
