The Las Vegas Raiders make a blockbuster move to stay in AFC West to sign All-Pro receiver Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers.
A person familiar with the move said Thursday that the Raiders will send the No. 22 overall pick in the April draft and provide additional compensation to the Packers for joining Adams with his college quarterback, Derek Carr. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not announced.
NFL Network reported that Adams has signed a new five-year deal with the Raiders, which will pay him $ 141.25m in the richest deal ever for a wide receiver.
This was an aggressive move by the Raiders’ new regime led by coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler and most recently in an AFC West arms race as teams try to catch Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Denver traded for quarterback Russell Wilson and the Chargers bought Rand Rusher Khalil Mack.
Now the Raiders are trying to keep pace and build on a 10-win season that has sent them into the playoffs for the second time in the last 19 seasons.
Las Vegas has potentially one of the strongest dynamic insults in the league with Carr’s best lineup of playmakers with Adams teaming up with Pro Bowl slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, star tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs.
Carr has a strong history with Adams, playing two seasons together in college at Fresno State. In her last year together in 2013, Adams had 131 catches for 1,719 yards and 24 TDs.
Adams reportedly bought a home in Las Vegas recently Carr tweeted after reports of the deal went public, “Welcome home.”
Now the next big move for the Raiders will likely be to extend Carr’s contract. He’s playing in the last year of a five-year $ 125n deal and is in line for a lucrative extension now that the Raiders seem to be going all-in.
Adams has been one of the most prolific receivers in the NFL in recent years. His 432 catches, 5,310 yards receptions and 47 TD receptions lead the NFL in the last four seasons.
He had 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 TDs last season when he made his second straight All-Pro team.
That deal comes less than two weeks after the Packers set the franchise tag on Adams and two days after the Packers announced that twice-reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers had signed a contract extension.
The franchise tag means that Adams would have received just over $ 20m for the 2022 season if he and the Packers had not made an extension before July 15th. Adams, who said he wants to be the highest paid recipient of the game, was asked later in the season about the prospect of getting the franchise tag.
“I’m not sure how I can answer that for sure now,” Adams said then. “So, we’ll just go over that bridge when we get there. I’m just saying that. I want to be professional here.”
The 29-year-old Adams is the only player in NFL history to have at least 110 catches, 1,350 yard receptions and 11 touchdown receptions in three separate seasons.
Adams is joined by Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald as the only players to have 600 catches, 8,000 yards reception and 70 touchdown receptions over their first eight seasons.
His departure leaves a big hole in the insult of Green Bay. The Packers have their MVP quarterback but have to figure out who will catch Rodgers’ passes.
The Packers are returning veteran Randall Cobb, but they are not sure they will return one of their other proven videouts.
Allen Lazard is an unrestricted free agent who received a second-round tender this week. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the team’s top deep threat, is an unlimited free agent. Tight End Robert Tonyan is also an unlimited free agent.
Add Comment