Dallas Cowboys Trade for Unhappy Davante Adams of Las Vegas Raiders Proposed by Media

Davante Adams is now in his second season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and he doesn't seem happy. Would a trade to the Dallas Cowboys put a smile on everyone's face?

FRISCO - The Las Vegas Raiders can't win in the clutch. The Dallas Cowboys can't score in the red zone. A trade for Davante Adams is a match made in NFL Heaven ... right?

Adams is obviously displeased with the direction of a Raiders team that cannot find a winning formula. As the All-Pro receiver begins his second season in Vegas, he's already growing impatient.

"I don't got time to wait around,'' Adams said following the Raiders’ 23-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night as the club dropped to 1-2.

Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, Raiders' Davante Adams
Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, Raiders' Davante Adams

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 2-1, and overall seem to be heading in the right direction ... except that an offense accustomed to being top-ranked when it comes to red-zone trips and success (No. 1 in 2022) is now ranked No. 27 in the league when it comes to converting trips into TDs.

One solid solution in Dallas? "Let me touch the rock!'' said Cowboys standout CeeDee Lamb, who hasn't yet really been used in the red zone.

And maybe this should end there. Lamb is 24 and on the horizon is a payday that should put him above $20 million APY in a new contract. In a salary-cap time, that seems more wise than acquiring Adams, who is 30 and who already makes (on paper) $28 million APY. (Sidebar: His cap numbers in 2024, '25 and '26, respectively, are $25 million, $44 million and $44 million!)

Nevertheless, the Cowboys are being mentioned by media outlets as a team that should chase Adams in trade. Our view? We see the Vegas problem. Las Vegas went just 6-11 last year, and as the Raiders seem ready to travel the same path, Adams could ultimately try to force the Raiders to move him to a contender before the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline. And maybe Vegas, recognizing it needs to rebuilt, will do so.

But we're betting the Cowboys front office's view of Dallas' red zone problem is this: Let's not throw money at it (in the form of Adams' massive contract); let's throw the football at it ... with Lamb on the receiving end.

Adams teaming with Lamb is a sexy idea. But these sort of proposals usually ignore the cap implications (two $20 million wideouts creates what most experts would term a "cap imbalance'') and also ignore the trade cost.

What did Vegas give the Green Bay Packers in the trade for Adams? A first-round and a second-round pick. What would Vegas want if the Raiders were to flip him? Logic says something akin to that. And logic therefore says that Dallas' passing-game solution is already employed by the Cowboys in the form of CeeDee Lamb.

Cowboys 'Have Too Many Weapons!' For Red Zone Failures


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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.