About 11 hours after their loss to the Bills, it was reported that the Jets had agreed a deal to acquire former All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.
In three games this season, Adams had 18 receptions on 27 targets for 209 yards and one touchdown. In his first two seasons with the Raiders, Adams combined for 2,660 receiving yards on 203 receptions and 22 touchdowns. In his age-32 season, he still has plenty left in the tank.
What Did the Jets Give Up?
ESPN has reported that the Raiders will receive a conditional third-round pick for Adams, but that pick could turn into a second. The condition is that Adams has to be a first- or second-team All-Pro selection this season or be on New York’s active roster for either the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl.
The gist: If Adams has a legendary final 10 games this season and the Jets make an incredible run the rest of the way and in the playoffs, both sides involved in this trade will be happy.
Where Do the Jets Stand?
With their loss to the Bills on Monday night, the Jets are 2-4, but only one game out of an AFC wild-card spot. New York is back in primetime next week, facing the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
The Colts are currently the seven seed at 3-3. The Broncos are also 3-3, but have a win over the Jets this season, and the Dolphins are 2-3. Miami is expected to get Tua Tagovailoa back within the next few weeks, as well.
New York ranks eighth in the AFC with 113 points scored, but has allowed the fifth-fewest points at 108. The plus-five point differential is tied with the Bengals, also 2-4, for eighth best in the conference.
The Jets have their own 2025 draft picks in the first six rounds. Their seventh-round pick became a sixth when they traded Mecole Hardman to the Chiefs last season.
New York also has an extra third-round pick in this year’s draft, which was acquired during the 2024 NFL Draft by trading a fourth-round pick to the Lions. That extra pick likely incentivized the Jets to make this deal.
Davante Adams Trade Reaction
According to my rankings, the Jets were already league average in offensive weapons and wide receivers. I had them as a fringe top-10 offense and team. This move gets them into the top five in offensive weapons and more like the top seven for offenses and overall ranking.
Obviously, Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson create a devastating 1-2 punch for Aaron Rodgers. Allen Lazard and Mike Williams fit better as complementary WR3 or WR4 pieces anyway.
This doesn't fix a couple of fundamental issues about the Jets offense, though.
As we saw last night, the New York offensive line is an issue. Rodgers was sacked three times and hit five, and the Bills had another sack wiped away because of a soft roughing-the-passer penalty.
Also, the guy calling the plays now has a run-first track record. Todd Downing was the offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2017 and the Titans in 2021 and 2022. Obviously, he had Derrick Henry in Tennessee, but the Titans led the NFL in rush attempts in 2021 (Titans went 12-5) and were 11th in 2022 (7-10). When things are going well, Downing wants to run the ball.
This trade might actually be a net negative for the Jets.
The passing game was not New York's problem. The Jets have been losing because of an inefficient run game and poor play calling. Rodgers has been sacked 16 times (tied for the sixth most in the NFL) and knocked down 21 times this season (also tied for sixth). Even after the Jets averaged 5.8 yards per carry against Buffalo, they’re still averaging just 3.9 per tote this season, which is tied for fourth worst in the NFL.
There was a big problem on defense, though, too. There has been a glaring lack of a pass rush so far this season. Josh Allen was sacked twice on Monday night, but those were the only two times he was hit in the game. The clean pocket and strong protection helped Buffalo running backs average 5.5 yards per carry while Allen averaged 8.6 yards per pass attempt.
Acquiring Adams likely means that Haason Reddick's salary is going to be out the door soon. If I'm a Jets fan, I'd rather have the elite pass rusher than Adams.
The Jets are still alive in the playoff hunt, but odds are too short to invest in. It'll be an uphill battle the rest of the season and you can't invest now. It feels like the Jets — and bettors — might just be chasing steam.
Any Bets To Make?
The only way I would invest in this narrative is for interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich is win NFC Coach of the Year. He's 60-1 at ESPN Bet or BetRivers, as of Tuesday morning, and that's simply too high of a number.
I'd say that 60-1 number should be cut in half. It's the only bet I'd be remotely interested in making if I believe in this Jets team.
