Davante Adams to team up with Aaron Rodgers again as Raiders deal Pro Bowler to Jets: sources

NEW YORK — A trade seemingly in the works for over a year is finally happening.

The Raiders have agreed to trade six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams to the Jets, according to sources.

The trade is for a conditional third-round pick that can become a second-round pick if Adams is a first or second-team All-Pro, or on the active roster for the AFC championship or Super Bowl, per sources.

The Jets will take on the entire balance of Adams’ remaining salary, which is $13.5 million owed for the remainder of the 2024 season. However, the Jets and Adams have agreed to a restructuring of his contract this season to lessen the cap hit, according to NFL Network.

Adams is scheduled to make $36.25 million each year, which will have to be adjusted eventually.

“I’m ecstatic,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “Super excited. Not only an elite player as we all know, but the relationship with him and Aaron just takes his value to ... another space.

“Super excited and got an opportunity to meet him this morning, which was even better. I obviously knew him from tape and everything from what we’ve seen. As a football player, to get to know the man a little bit this morning was special. Not only an elite player but an elite human being and teammate.

“Excited to get him in the mix.”

The trade comes after Adams’ fractured relationship with Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, which led to his trade request. Following his request, the Jets became one of the front-runners because of Adams’ relationship with Aaron Rodgers, whom he teamed up with in Green Bay for eight seasons.

Adams, 31, has been recently nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out the previous two weeks.

“I’m feeling great, man,” Adams said during a surprise appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” with Rodgers on Tuesday afternoon. “I was working with the staff in Vegas the whole time. They got me back right and fortunately, I will be able to roll.”

“I’m sure it’s a few nuisances, but for the most part, a lot of the same verbiage,” Adams added about learning a new system. “Still the same OG right here [pointing at Rodgers]. We should be able to pick back off. That’s the idea.”

The flirtation between the Jets and Adams began last season, even after Rodgers tore his Achilles during his debut with the team. The Jets wanted to acquire the star receiver last year at the trade deadline. But the Raiders declined to deal Adams even after a coaching change.

Then, during the American Century Championships golf tournament in July, Rodgers told reporters: “I love Davante, I can’t wait to play with him ... again.” This came after Adams hinted on the “Up and Adams” show that Rodgers had been recruiting him to join the Jets.

“He’s in the ear,” Adams said at the time. “It’s not as easy. Obviously, we can get together and talk about the old times and the potential of doing this and that.”

When Adams last teamed up with Rodgers, the two were arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the NFL. From 2018-21, Adams averaged 119 receptions, 1,463 yards and 14.5 touchdowns during those four seasons.

Now, Adams joins a Jets offense that has struggled through six games. With a 2-4 record, the Jets rank 22nd in yards (304.3) and 23rd in points per game (18.8).

Adams will join Garrett Wilson, former teammate Allen Lazard, and veteran Mike Williams in the Jets receiving corps. Gang Green also has running back Breece Hall and tight end Tyler Conklin.

From the moment Rodgers was acquired in a trade with the Packers in 2023, the Jets’ expectations changed. Following Rodgers’ recovery from his Achilles tear, the Jets entered the 2024 season with Super Bowl expectations and the AFC East favorites after making several free agent acquisitions, including adding Williams along with left tackle Tyron Smith, left guard John Simpson and right tackle Morgan Moses.

However, after suffering two consecutive losses, Jets owner Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh after three-plus seasons and made defensive coordinator Ulbrich the interim coach for the rest of the season. Ulbrich then made passing game coordinator Todd Downing the Jets’ play-caller for the rest of the season after stripping offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of those responsibilities.

On "Monday Night Football," the Jets lost, 23-20, to the rival Bills, which put them two games back in the AFC East.

The Jets have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons, which is the longest active drought in the NFL.

“Obviously bittersweet after what happened last night,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “It’s exciting, Tae and I have done a lot of great things. He has made me look good a lot of times. So, I’m really excited about it, I think it is exciting for our team. We definitely got better today thanks to Joe [Douglas] making it happen, Woody [Johnson] and Chris [Johnson] pulling the trigger. Obviously, everyone was pissed about last night, but we know there’s a lot of season left and now it’s go-time.”

This officially ends Adams’ brief run with the Raiders. In 2022, the Raiders acquired him in a trade for first- and second-round draft picks. He then inked a five-year, $141.25 million contract extension in Las Vegas, making him the highest-paid wide receiver at the time.

Adams wanted to come to Las Vegas to be closer to California, where he grew up, and to team up with Derek Carr, with whom he played in college at Fresno State. However, the two only played together for one year after the Raiders released Carr following the 2022 season.

In three seasons with the Raiders, Adams caught 221 receptions for 2,869 yards and 23 touchdowns.