Davante Adams Next Team Odds
Davante Adams is embroiled in a dispute with the Raiders that the market — and insiders — believe will end his tenure in Las Vegas.
DraftKings has posted odds on Adams' next team — meaning, which team he'll take his first snap for after the 2024 trade deadline on Nov. 5. And as ESPN reported on Wednesday, the Jets and Saints are the favorites to reunite Adams with either Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr.
The Jets are the favorites (-110) because they have far more cap space — which means they'll have to do less maneuvering and give up fewer assets to wipe Adams off the Raiders' books. And while Adams might not have a preference in mind between the Jets and Saints, New Orleans is the +275 underdog between the two because it only has under $3 million in cap space (the Jets have under $17 million).
Adams' $25 million cap hit would likely take some contract restructuring regardless of where he's traded.
The Raiders might also have to take on some of Adams' salary, which means teams like the Saints — ones without much cap room — will have to pony up more assets.
Do the Raiders have value here at +1200? Adams' contract isn't guaranteed past this season, so there's a good chance he'll fight for guaranteed money as a prerequisite for a deal, adding another layer of complexity to a potential trade. He'll have the leverage, too, because the Jets and Saints will likely have to restructure his contract anyway in order to fulfill cap obligations.
In addition, if he stays, he'll likely be cut after the season — giving him free reign in the open market to make as much money as possible. The only issue here is if the Raiders are unable to procure a trade, they might just shut him down in order to avoid locker room complications and prevent injury. A long-term injury, for instance, might trigger a contract guarantee that isn't publicly known.
There might have been value in this market if there was an option for "no trade, doesn't play again after Nov. 5." But alas.
(A note here to indicate that these odds at DraftKings are only available in the following states or provinces: West Virginia, Indiana, New Hampshire, Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, Louisiana, Ontario, Kansas, Maryland, Maine and North Carolina.)
The rift between Adams and the Raiders began almost as soon as his favored quarterback, Carr, was released. A cycle of mediocre quarterbacks followed. Publicly, however, Adams stayed professional.
That was until the Netflix documentary "Receiver" was released over the summer and featured deep insights into Adams' 2023 season. In it, Adams questioned his future with the Raiders, denigrated former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo — and admitted to being a part in his eventual demotion — and was shown venting on the sideline about the hits he was taking.
"I got to get the f— out of here before I lose my f—ing life," Adams said on the sideline during a Week 6 game against the Patriots. "I ain't never been hit this many f—ing times in my career. Every game, I get f—ed up."
Then, after a loss to the lowly Panthers in Week 3 of this season, head coach Antonio Pierce insinuated in a postgame press conference that some players were dogging it on the field. Many took his comments as direct shots at Adams.
"I think as the game went on — I don't think it was the team," Pierce said. "I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions, and we'll make business decisions going forward as well."
Afterward, Pierce's Instagram account liked a post from Sports Illustrated reporting that Adams may have played his last snap with the Raiders. Pierce's account later unliked the post. Adams said he hasn't spoken with his coach since. He also hasn't played since as he missed last week's game against the Browns with what he said was a hamstring injury he suffered three days prior.
Interesting … look who liked this post. pic.twitter.com/svAwY30rDc
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) October 1, 2024
Odds for the Raiders haven't changed much since this rift, an indication that his presence is negligible to the success of a team that's already too far gone. None of their futures odds have altered — they remain a lowly +285 to make the playoffs and +14000 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel.
In fact, the Raiders' odds have actually shortened for their next game vs. the Broncos. Since news of Adams' request to be traded, they've moved from +3 (-115) to their current mark of +2.5 (-105) at bet365.
