Davante Adams trade: 6 winners and losers from Jets-Raiders deal

The long-awaited Davante Adams trade is finally here.

After weeks of speculation, Adams is headed to the AFC East and a reunion with Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets. The trade was finalized on Tuesday morning and the wide receiver is already in the building, hoping he can help turn around New York’s season. Thanks to Monday night’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills the Jets now sit at 2-4 on the year, and have already fired head coach Robert Saleh.

Can Adams help turn things around? That will be a storyline to watch over the rest of the 2024 NFL season. But who stands to benefit from this trade, and who might be licking their wounds after this move? Here are some winners and losers from the Davante Adams trade.

Winners: Las Vegas Raiders

Yes, the Las Vegas Raiders are losing out on one of the game’s most talented wide receivers.

However, a few aspects to this trade make this a win for Las Vegas, even with Adams leaving town. First, the Raiders are getting something in return for the wide receiver, a conditional third-round pick that can become a second-round pick based on Adams’ performance.

The other reason this is a win for the Raiders? The financial implications.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Jets are assuming the remainder of the receiver’s contract:

Losers: New Orleans Saints

When rumors first emerged regarding a potential Adams trade, two teams were immediately on the list: The Jets, for a potential reunion with Aaron Rodgers, and the Saints, for a potential reunion with Derek Carr.

With Adams going to the Jets, and not the Saints, that makes this a loss for New Orleans. Adding insult to injury is the fact that a season that began so well for the Saints has started to slip away from them. After New Orleans began the year with two straight blowout wins they have dropped four straight games, and Carr himself is sidelined with an oblique injury. New Orleans is sitting at 2-4, trailing both the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the division.

Adams would have provided a boost, but now he is headed elsewhere.

Winners: Cleveland Browns

With Adams off the board, Amari Cooper becomes the best available wide receiver (if he wasn’t already). At 1-5, the Browns chances of making the NFL playoffs are very low according to FanDuel, and everyone who has watched them play. Cooper hasn’t been his usual stellar self this season but after being rumored in the Brandon Aiyuk saga this offseason, teams interested in trading for him will be understanding.

Cleveland now has multiple weeks to leverage teams against each other and wait out any possible injuries at receiver. Barring someone surprising coming available, the Browns have the best player at a vital position to help restock for their future.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers

It’s been an up and down year for Rodgers through six weeks. He’s been a middling quarterback for much of the season, but Adams brings a significant piece of fire power to the offense. Garrett Wilson and Alan Lazard have been the top two receivers, but Adams should provide a boost to an offense that ranks 23rd in DVOA. The defense was already solid, but adding Adams should give the offense a ... shot in the arm.

Losers: Baltimore Ravens

Adams sent the football world into a frenzy recently when he shared an image of legendary American poet Edgar Allan Poe on social media. That post on Instagram led many to believe that the wide receiver could be headed to the Baltimore Ravens.

Adding Adams to the Ravens offense would have given Baltimore’s passing game a massive boost, and created a nightmare scenario for opposing defensive coordinators. Not only would they have to account for Derrick Henry, along with Lamar Jackson, in the run game but now they would have to game plan for a premier wide receiver.

Instead, Adams is headed to the AFC East, and the Ravens will need to forge ahead without Adams. Still, in recent weeks the Ravens offense has been very successful, leading some to believe Baltimore might have the most “dangerous” offense in the NFL.

So they might still be just fine with Adams in New York.

Loser: Mike Williams

What a terrible 12 hours or so for Williams.

The dynamic between he and Rodgers has been inconsistent to say the least, the final offensive play for the Jets last night being the biggest example.

After the game, Rodgers said that Williams was in the wrong place for that pass, and it just shows how off they’ve been this season.

Now, Adams enters the fold, making Williams role diminished. He’s the outside receiver who can go up and get the ball, he finds himself as the odd man out of a receiver rotation that now has Adams (a guy Rodgers has an extensive rapport with), Garrett Wilson (a receiver who is better than him) and Allen Lazard (a receiver Rodgers has an extensive rapport with). Williams play hasn’t truly rebounded after being hurt for most of 2023, and with Adams now in the fold this could mean the end of the Williams tenure in New York.

I would expect Williams to be moved before the trade deadline.