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Inside Davante Adams' $140M Raiders Contract Amid Trade Request, Rumors

Andrew Peters

Davante Adams could be heading to a new team.

The star wide receiver requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday amid frustration from both sides, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.

Though Adams is in the third year of a five-year, $140 million contract and is due $36.25 million in 2025 and 2026, the final two years of his deal are non-guaranteed, meaning finding a deal for him could be a bit easier.

The 31-year-old has a cap hit of $25.35 million for the 2024 season, but that number spikes to $44.1 million for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, per Spotrac.

The Raiders have $70.196 million in cap space for the 2025 season, so avoiding the massive cap hit from Adams would give them a lot more room to make a splash in free agency.

While Las Vegas would still have a dead-money charge of $15.7 million in 2025 if it trades Adams, that's a small number to pay compared to $44.1 million.

Should a team trade for the six-time Pro Bowler, it likely wouldn't be willing to take on his $36.25 million guaranteed in 2025 and 2026. While stars like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb will see that kind of money over the next few years, they are much younger than Adams.

Trading for Adams would likely act more as a one-season rental before potentially giving him a new, cheaper contract in free agency.

In terms of a price, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders have told teams they would "consider" trading him for a package that includes a second-round pick and additional compensation.

Though Adams didn't request a trade until Tuesday, there were signs that he and Las Vegas were moving toward a split in recent days.

On Monday, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce liked a post suggesting Adams could have "already played his last snap" in Las Vegas.

Furthermore, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Tuesday that the Raiders were "growing open to the idea of trading" the veteran, and the team had already started contacting teams to gauge interest.

One hiccup in the Raiders finding a trade package for Adams could be his injury status. He missed Sunday's matchup against the Cleveland Browns after suffering a hamstring issue in practice and is currently considered to be week-to-week.

If that injury proves to be serious, it could take a toll on his trade value.

Adams, who is in his 11th NFL season and third with the Raiders, has notched four consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and has led the league in receiving touchdowns twice since 2020.

While he didn't have his usual production amid a season of struggle for the Raiders last year, there are likely plenty of teams that could benefit from his arrival.

Garafolo noted that there is "nothing imminent" in terms of a trade, but Tuesday's reports seem to indicate Adams could be on his way out before the trade deadline in November.

   

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