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Lavish Cimini, ESPN Scribbler Team
Aiming to salvage their damaged season and salvage their hopes of ending a half-century Super Bowl drought, the New York Jets finalized a blockbuster deal for famed wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday.
The Las Vegas Raiders earned a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 industry draft. That pick could simply rise to a second-round number, assets told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, if Adams is a first- or second-team All-Pro this season or is on the Jets’ active roster for the Championship. AFC or the Super Bowl.
The industry brings together Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers to recreate one of the biggest bad duos in new NFL history.
“We’re back, man,” Adams said shortly, joining Rodgers at the Jets’ facility at Florham Ground, Jersey, for the quarterback’s weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “We’re back.”
“Obviously, I’m very excited,” Rodgers said, adding: “It’s up to us now. We’re going all in.”
Adams restructured his guarantee to reduce his salary cap hit this season to $3.21 million, assets told Schefter. Two voidable years have been added to the trade, and the two aspects will now speak to your unused York month this season.
Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was noncommittal on whether Adams will make his Jets debut Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adams was constructive about his chances and announced that his hamstring injury “feels great.” He currently neglected three matches.
“I hope so, but it’s too early to evaluate it now,” Ulbrich said of Adams’ chances of playing in Pittsburgh.
A source, on the other hand, told Schefter that Adams is expected to make his Jets debut against the Steelers on Sunday night.
The Jets (2-4), immediate three-game losers, made the statement before Monday night’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Adams took a red-eye flight gliding to Unutilized Jersey and landed early Tuesday morning. He was at the Jets facility to beat a corpse and end the industry.
“[He’s] “Not only is he an elite player, as we all know, but the relationship with him and Aaron takes his value into another space for us,” Ulbrich said.
In a span of seven days, the Jets fired manager Robert Saleh and made one of the most striking trades in team history amid owner Woody Johnson’s go-for-broke edict by 2024. At the league’s meeting NFL in Atlanta on Tuesday, Johnson was once almost incredulous when asked whether or not the season could be saved.
“Salvable? Let’s kick it; you can add the words after that,” he instructed reporters. “We are going to do very well.”
Adams, who turns 32 on Dec. 24, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and had his greatest luck with Rodgers as his quarterback with the Green Bay Packers. From 2014 to 2021, they had 615 completions, 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. They have been the second-most prolific duo in the NFL in that span, behind Matt Ryan and Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
A Rodgers-Adams reunion seemed inevitable, and Rodgers fanned the flames in July. At a celebrity golf event, he stated, “I love Davante. I can’t wait to play with him…again.” Rodgers lobbied for the industry, but claimed he didn’t know it was happening until 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, when he was returning home from MetLife Stadium and Adams gave him a decision.
Adams’ two-plus seasons in Las Vegas will come to a tumultuous end, with Adams breaking off a partial relationship with his tutor Antonio Pierce and eventually pursuing a business deal. He acknowledged the Jets as his disagreement. 1 selection and they gave him his wish.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas confirmed interest in Adams at the 2023 trade deadline, but was rejected by the Raiders. He never missed the hobby, the media said, periodically checking on Adams’ possible availability. At this age, Douglas made an abrupt move to end it.
Adams joins a deep receiving corps that includes rising star Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams and Allen Lazard. The Jets even have Xavier Gipson, who handles punt and kickoff returns, and rookie Malachi Corley. It will be up to game coordinator Todd Downing, put in charge of the offense amid the completion of the past coaching shakeup, to make it work.
“I think in the next few days we’ll figure out how all these pieces fit together,” Ulbrich said. “It’s an exciting and good problem because we have a lot of different guys with a lot of different skills who can do a lot of different things. Todd and his staff are going to have some sleepless nights with some good problems.”
The Jets believe that Adams’ presence will create alternatives for Wilson, who has been receiving double protection. Wilson and Rodgers struggled to tie early in the season, but Wilson is coming off his two most fertile games: combining for 21 receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the most targeted player in the league, but some of those goals now decide to go to Adams.
“I think he’ll really help Garrett,” Rodgers said of Adams’ presence.
Williams (10 catches for 145 yards) has struggled to create and could be your average guy. On Monday night, he ran the wrong way in the Jets’ last few games, according to Rodgers. In his postgame press conference, Rodgers said Williams should have run in a vertical direction instead of breaking it, and the result was an interception. It was the second instant game in which Rodgers’ last move was intercepted: Williams was focused on both.
The Jets could simply take a look at commercial Williams, whom they signed to a one-year, $10 million guarantee during the offseason.
Adams was initially welcomed by the Raiders into a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers on March 17, 2022, and the Raiders sent first- and second-round draft picks to the Packers so that Adams, who grew up in Palo Alto, could for California to not only be closer to hosting seven seasons in Green Bay, but also reunited with its college quarterback at Fresno State, Derek Carr. But Carr was benched with two games left in an eventual Season 6 -11 and was reduced that offseason.
However, Adams was once named a first-team All-Pro in 2022, catching 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. A year later, with Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell at quarterback, Adams had 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns.
With Gardner Minshew at quarterback this season, Adams had 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games.
The Raiders will raise a worthless cap hit of $13.67 million in 2024 and $15.7 million in 2025 and then sell Adams, according to Spotrac.com.
ESPN’s Paul Gutiérrez contributed to this file.
