Davante Adams is unhappy and wants to get traded from the Las Vegas Raiders. The three-time All-Pro wide receiver let head coach Antonio Pierce know his intentions last week after a series of events led to a point of no return for the player and team. His frustration has festered to the public. As more news about the situation leaks, it’s more evident that Adams is looking to get saved by someone.
The someone could be the Washington Commanders. But should they save Adams?
A frustrated Davante Adams requested a trade
Adams’ three-year stint with the Raiders has been tumultuous. The tension boiled over recently, starting with a Week 3 Raiders loss to the woeful Carolina Panthers.
As his coaches and teammates trotted to the locker room at halftime down 21-7, Adams was visibly upset. He had four receptions for 40 yards in the 36-22 loss.
The following week, Adams landed on the injury report with a hamstring injury. The ailment ultimately kept him out of the Raiders’ Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns. Speculation brewed over Adams’ future with the Raiders with the timing of the injury designation. The win overshadowed Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce liking an Instagram post, suggesting Adams may have played his last down with Las Vegas.
According to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, Adams informed Pierce of his trade request earlier in the week.
“He comes in Monday morning and texts Antonio Pierce to meet with him… and AP thought it was about the hamstring. All of sudden, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m out. I don’t want my career to end like this.”
Shortly afterward, news broke out that Adams requested a trade. Adams missed a second straight game Sunday — the Raiders lost to the Denver Broncos 34-18.
Pierce called Adams’ trade situation “status quo” Monday to reporters. Pierce deflected when asked where things were wrong between the team and Adams.
“I don’t know. You gotta ask Davante that,” Pierce replied.
How did Adams and the Raiders get to a point of no return?
It’s not hard to see why Adams grew frustrated with the Raiders barely a quarter into his third season with the team.
Adams arrived with the Raiders in 2022 via a trade after eight seasons playing with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. A contract dispute, franchise tag, and Rodgers’ departure to the New York Jets were all factors in Adams’ trade — quarterback Derek Carr was the reason he wanted to get traded to Vegas.
Carr was firm as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. The two are best of friends and were college teammates at Fresno State.
Carr and Adams seemed like a match made in heaven despite the noticeable talent difference between Rodgers and Carr. Yet, the duo didn’t last an entire season. Then-head coach Josh McDaniels benched Carr with two games remaining in the 2022 season.
The Raiders released Carr at the end of the season, sparking a split in interest. Vegas went from Carr to starting four different quarterbacks in the 2023 season. By the way, McDaniels got fired eight games into his second year as coach. Pierce replaced him in the interim, but it was evident the Raiders weren’t the same team Adams thought he was joining back in 2022.
A guy who made a name by catching passes from Rodgers wouldn’t be comfortable with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell throwing him passes. While some may call him a diva or fire off rants like Rex Ryan, Adams’ plight is understandable to others.
Linking Davante Adams to the Commanders is not far-fetched.
Once word got out of his trade request, the rumors circulated linking Adams with several teams. One of those teams to surface at the top of the rumor mill is the Washington Commanders. The Commanders are a team recently revived with a new ownership group that includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a new general manager, head coach, and budding star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick.
The same quarterback Adams raved about right before his trade request.
“He’s a special player,” Adams said on The Up And Adams Show. “We [The Raiders] were hoping that all the teams didn’t think so and he could slip to the Raiders [in the NFL Draft].”
Adams’ unhappiness was noticeable during Netflix’s The Receiver, which originally aired during the offseason.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes first speculated about Adams’s relationship with the Commanders. She predicted that Adams would get traded to the Commanders by mid-season.
“… the Commanders strike me as a team that [is] going to be like just feisty enough to want to do this [trade],” Kimes proclaimed in September.
The Jets and Saints appear to be Adams’ first choices. His relationships with Rodgers and Carr are instrumental. However, through his admittance, Adams wouldn’t frown on playing with Daniels.
The Washington Commanders have one of the NFL’s potent offenses. The Commanders offense ranks fifth in total yards per game with 392.6, including the league’s second-best run offense.
Despite the early success of the 2024 season, the lack of star power at wide receiver is concerning. Washington has Terry McLaurin at the top of the depth chart. Yet, the team is searching for a bonafide complement.
Presently, Washington is employing a wide receiver by committee approach for WR2. McLaurin leads the team with 303 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. Yet, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler are second and third in receiving yards with 160 and 151, respectively.
Daniels has spread the football around. Wide receiver Dyami Brown and reserved offensive tackle Trent Scott have the other two Daniels’ touchdown passes.
Outside McLaurin, production at wide receiver hinges on a development rookie who played quarterback in college and a list of role players. Luke McCaffrey, the younger brother of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, seems destined to be the WR2. In the meantime, he is learning to play from the slot.
Washington signed veteran Noah Brown just before the start of the regular season after getting released by the Houston Texans. The rest of the rest includes Olamide Zaccheus and Jamison Crowder.
An immediate need for a WR2 is glaring.
Davante Adams and Terry McLaurin would form a superstar duo.
They’re no Fun Bunch or Posse like the prestigious receiver groups of Washington’s past. However, Adams and McLaurin would form a superstar receiver duo. Both wideouts have thrived despite having an atrocity situation at quarterback the last couple of years.
Adams managed to have at least 100 receptions in back-to-back seasons with the Raiders despite playing with four different QBs. Last year was a down year for his standards — 103 catches, 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s arguably a career year for most wideouts.
McLaurin can relate. He has four straight 1,000-yard seasons despite having ten different quarterbacks. The flashes of potential with Daniels have Commanders’ fans gleaming with excitement. Imagine adding Adams to the mix.
McLaurin finally has a quarterback playing at an elite level with Daniels. What’s missing now is a consistent threat to defenses downfield to manipulate the coverage.
McLaurin and Adams present matchup nightmares for defensive coordinators. Add Daniels’ dynamic running and the backfield duo of Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler, a top-5 offense becomes even more dangerous.
Perception is reality. While the coaches varied, the Raiders have a history of nearly killing the careers of All-Pro wideouts. Hall of Famer Randy Moss was in the silver and black and looked like an old has-been before his career got revived with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Antonio Brown was another until he pushed himself out to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resurrecting his career enough to win a Super Bowl as an instrumental part.
Does Davante Adams fit into the Commanders’ long-term plans?
Other teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are in contention.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Washington as a “sleeper” for Adams. The Commanders have a young core and reportedly are measuring the landscape for a wide receiver. But jumping on Adams does deviate from new general manager Adam Peters’ plan to build through the draft.
Yet, no one expected Washington to have the 4-1 start it has. The Commanders are in first place in the NFC East, and having just one significant threat to challenge secondaries could cap the team’s potential this season.
The contract isn’t an issue. A team that acquires Adams at the Nov. 5 trade deadline would only take on just over $8.6 million for the remainder of the 2024 season, according to Spotrac. His salaries for 2025 and 2026 are non-guaranteed but will hold a cap hit of $40.144 million each season.
That’s not the only cost. Washington would have to pony draft capital in a trade.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Las Vegas’ asking price (second-round draft pick) is “unrealistic,” and there is not a team “desperate enough” for Adams.
The combination of draft picks and paying Adams north of $40 million may be too steep for the new Washington’s front office. Peters has a long-term plan. The team’s immediate success won’t necessarily make the Commanders buyers in the trade market.
Peters stepped back when San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk dangled on the trade market. He didn’t pursue Aiyuk despite his history with the 49ers. Aiyuk’s contract situation and the 49ers’ asking price were vastly different. Still, Peters is in no rush to jump at any available receiver.
Washington may have other options at a lesser price than Davante Adams. Diontae Johnson, Amari Cooper, Tee Higgins, DeAndre Hopkins, and Christian Kirk may be available by the trade deadline.
The Commanders can legitimately compete for a spot in this year’s postseason. They’ve created a buzz around the city that hasn’t been there since RG3’s 2012 rookie season. That energy could create temptation for Peters to make a move at wide receiver. Whether or not that is Davante Adams is the question.
