Trade speculation began to heat up for Davante Adams after the Raiders expressed frustration following the Las Vegas Raiders’ 23-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. FanBuzz’s Matt Lombardo laid out a list of Adams’ top trade destinations in a Sept. 26 column, which included the Cleveland Browns.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, a prominent Browns fan, has heard rumors that Adams could be traded.I posted a gif of a man praying in response September 26X Posts Talk about trade speculation.
James, who spent 11 seasons of his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been more outspoken in his support of the Browns in recent years. The team started with 2 wins and 1 loss, and the defense was tight, allowing an average of 10.7 points per game, the lowest in the NFL. The offense is solid, but nothing special. They average 24.3 points per game, ranking 11th in the league. Adding a three-time All-Pro like Adams would give the offense a huge boost. Pairing him with Amari Cooper would give them a dynamic wide receiver tandem. That said, trading Adams won’t be simple.
Why a Davante Adams trade is difficult
The Raiders are just a year removed from giving up a first- and second-round pick to add Davante Adams in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. He still plays at a high level. He ranks fourth in the NFL in receptions (25), fifth in receiving yards (322) and second in receiving touchdowns (3). The Raiders would be able to recoup quite a bit of value if they traded him.
The problem is that his contract makes trading him difficult. His total cap hit this year is $54.42 million, according to Spotrac. The Raiders wouldn’t have to shoulder all of that if they traded him, but they would have to shoulder a big chunk. For a team, that’s a huge number. The potential draft pick the Raiders get for him may not be worth it unless they score this season.
The team is currently 1-2, so they only need a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 to get back to .500. It’s still too early for Adams to be traded, but if the team continues to lose before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, the likelihood of him being dealt increases.
What did Davante Adams say that led to trade speculation?
In 20 games with the Raiders, Davante Adams has a 7-13 record. He won 13 games in each of his final three seasons with the Packers. He wasn’t used to the way the Raiders were losing. Since 2002, the team has had two seasons with a winning record.
After the loss to the Steelers, Adams made it clear he wasn’t going to be patient with some type of rebuild.
“I don’t have time to wait. … It’s not a personal thing. I mean, it’s a personal thing, but it’s not just about me,” Adams told reporters during a postgame media availability on Sept. 24. “My mentality is not to sit here and try to spend the whole season figuring it out and using these early games to establish our identity. “We didn’t do things the right way to build a winning culture early in the season, so we have to do something to turn that around.”