New York's shock firing of Robert Saleh did not prevent its successful pursuit of Davante Adams.
Seven days after the Jets fired their head coach and less than 24 hours after a prime-time loss to the Bills, they have agreed to a trade for Adams from the Raiders, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday, per sources. Las Vegas will receive a conditional 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Adams, Rapoport and NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported of the deal, which has been announced by both teams.
The third-rounder can become a second-round pick if Adams becomes a first- or second-team All-Pro this season, or if he's on the active roster should the Jets make the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl LIX, per Pelissero.
Pelissero added that the Jets have agreed to take on the rest of Adams' salary in order to get the deal done, per a source. Adams' base salary is $16.89 million and he also has $510,000 in per-game active roster bonuses. The Jets will take on the prorated portion, which comes out to $11.6 million. Subsequently, the Jets and Adams agreed to a contract restructure for 2024, lessening the salary cap hit, Rapoport reported. The parties will likely have to adjust the 2025 and 2026 portions of the contract, as well.
Adams is already in the Jets' building and will undergo a physical, per Rapoport. Adams has missed the past three games due to a hamstring injury, but Rapoport reported the injury is in a good place.
“Feeling great," Adams said during a surprise Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show alongside Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who Adams spent eight years catching passes from as a Green Bay Packer.
"Was working with the staff over in Vegas the whole time. They got me back right," Adams added. "Fortunately, I’ll be ready to roll. I’m sure there’s a few new little nuances but for the most part a lot of the same verbiage. Still the same O.G. right here. Should be able to pick up where we left off. That’s the idea.”
By trading for the three-time All-Pro, New York reunites Adams with Rodgers. The pair started its partnership in 2014 and produced 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns on 615 completions, but Adams and Rodgers elevated their game to another level during the former's final four seasons in Green Bay. From 2018-2021, Rodgers and Adams ranked first in the NFL in receptions (425), receiving yards (5,257) and receiving touchdowns (47) as a duo.
That's the type of spark the Jets hope to reignite in New York, where the club saw the Saleh regime end after a 2-3 beginning to a season that was characterized by a lack of identity for a stagnating offense.
“Tae is one of my closest friends in the league," Rodgers said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. "Tae is right at the top of the list of guys I really care about that are family to me. To be able to have him back is really special to me. It’s bittersweet because of what happened last night, but it’s exciting. Tae and I have done a lot of great things over the years. He’s made me look good a lot of times. I’m really excited about it. I think it’s exciting for our team. We definitely got better today. Big thanks to Joe (Douglas) for making it happen. Woody, Chris pulling the trigger. Obviously, everybody was pissed about last night, but lot of season left. Now it’s go time.”
Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke with reporters Tuesday just after news of the Adams trade materialized.
“We know that they played together," Johnson said of the Rodgers-Adams connection. "Yeah, I mean I think anybody would be interested. He adds to the running game, he opens up everything. Particularly having that relationship with the quarterback, it's very important.”
Even amid the tumult, the Jets' aspirations of salvaging the season seemed to have improved with Adams' arrival.
“Salvageable? We’re going to kick ... you can fill the word in," Johnson said, adding "changing the status quo is killer."
The most interesting wrinkle will likely be working Adams in alongside third-year wideout Garrett Wilson, the closest thing the WR corps had to an alpha, one who might be required to slide into a definitive No. 2 role given Adams' résumé with Rodgers.
Outside of the room's new big two, Allen Lazard, another Rodgers favorite and ex-Packer, might be used even more as a blocker now -- a strength of his -- while Mike Williams will benefit from two certified playmakers drawing major attention as he continues to try to get right coming off his ACL tear.
Adams' addition should presumably be a boon to the running game, too, forcing defenses to split resources between stopping yet another dangerous Gang Green pass catcher or slowing the backfield tandem of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
Such a blockbuster trade, an all-in move by a Jets team looking to capitalize on whatever magic the 40-year-old Rodgers has left to give, was made possible by things going south for Adams and the Raiders in what turned out to be a slow but foreseeable dissolution of a marriage once so promising.
Adams has been traded to join forces with an old friend at QB before, but back during the 2022 offseason it meant leaving Rodgers to catch passes from Derek Carr, his college signal-caller, in silver and black.
Only Carr and Adams lasted a mere 15 games together, with Adams hauling in 88 catches for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns from his fellow Fresno State alum before then-head coach Josh McDaniels benched Carr for the final two games of the season.
Carr relocated to New Orleans upon his release.
Adams' second season with Las Vegas involved three starting quarterbacks and the Halloween night firing of McDaniels, an atmosphere that culminated in the wideout's least efficient campaign in years. Despite eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards for a fourth consecutive time in 2023, Adams averaged just 11.1 yards per reception and scored eight TDs, his worst and second-worst outputs since 2015, respectively.
The silver lining appeared to be Antonio Pierce, the interim head coach turned full-timer who Adams threw his support behind during the hiring cycle. Trade rumors (particularly to the Jets) continued to linger this offseason regardless, but Adams stayed above the fray, saying he remained "locked in" with the Raiders.
Provided his third Week 1 starting QB in as many years with Las Vegas, this time Gardner Minshew, Adams was mostly middling in the Raiders' first outing of the 2024 season, a five-catch, 59-yard performance. However, he reminded everyone what he was capable of during the club's Week 2 comeback win over the Ravens, as he collected nine catches, several of the gasp-worthy variety, for 110 yards and a score to help will Las Vegas to victory.
Then came an embarrassing shellacking by the Panthers, a team that had just benched 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, which seemingly sent the dominos toppling toward divorce.
Pierce criticized players without naming names, citing some individuals making "business decisions" during the loss.
While gearing up to play the Browns in Week 4, Adams suffered a multi-week hamstring injury on Sept. 27. Las Vegas would emerge victorious without him, and on the following Monday, Oct. 1, Pierce appeared to like a social media post suggesting the WR had played his last snap as a Raider.
NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo and Rapoport reported on Oct. 2 that Adams had informed the team he preferred to be traded that same Monday.
Suitors lined up and roughly two weeks passed. Adams' preference to be traded reportedly included a preferred landing spot of New York, and eventually he got what he wanted, following the dots so many others had already connected for him there.
As for what the Jets want, it's the Adams that was back to making defenders look silly again in Week 2, just as he did for the majority of his tenure working with Rodgers.
With roughly two and a half seasons elapsed since their last team-up, plus Rodgers having suffered a torn Achilles and Adams now a couple months shy of 32, the same old fireworks between the two isn't a certainty.
It will be New York's expectation, though, and given their history it would be unwise to count them out -- or the Jets during an already topsy-turvy season in Gotham.