Raiders Have Financial Flexibility After Adams Trade

The Las Vegas Raiders opened up some money by trading wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets. What can they do with it?

Nov 12, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) gestures after gaining a first down against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders made a significant move on Tuesday, sending All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets in exchange for a third-round pick that can become a second-round pick, as was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the pick would become a second-round pick if Adams is a First-Team or Second-Team All-Pro member or is on the active roster for the AFC Championship game or the Super Bowl. 

Adams’ time in Las Vegas comes to an end, and the Raiders look to begin a new chapter in their organization. 

One hold-up in the trade was that the Raiders could not find a team to take on Adams’ full salary. According to Schefter, the Jets will do that. 

This is a major victory for the Raiders. They now have much more money to work with when they enter free agency in 2025. 

Per the Adams trade, the #Raiders have freed up $28.4M of cap space for 2025, and now project to hold around $108M of room next offseason, 5th in the NFL.https://t.co/MlzIIh4Cem

— Spotrac (@spotrac) October 15, 2024

Depending on how the rest of the season goes, the Raiders could take several different directions. 

The Raiders have several important players hitting the free-agent market when the calendar turns to March. They could decide to run it back with this core and re-sign as many of those players as possible, or they could let many of them walk and try to add different players to make a run at the postseason in 2025. 

The top player they could decide to extend is linebacker Robert Spillane. Still only 28 years old, Spillane has played his best football as a member of the Silver and Black and could have several good years left. 

He could be a player Las Vegas wants to lock up long-term, and they now have the money to make that happen. 

The Raiders also have young players eligible for contract extensions, including cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Tre’von Moehrig. Both have played well enough to earn their spots for the next few seasons. 

If the Raiders want to remain in win-now mode, they also have the cap space to pursue a big-name player like wide receiver Tee Higgins or safety Budda Baker. 

Thanks to the trade, they now have financial flexibility no matter what they decide to do next spring. While the Raiders will focus on the current season, it’s nice for General Manager Tom Telesco to know he has this in his back pocket.

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