Davante Adams to the Jets is a ‘done deal’: ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky
The Davante Adams-to-the-Jets rumors are going into overdrive.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said Tuesday morning on “Get Up” that he believes Adams to the Jets is a “done deal,” and the star receiver will reunite with Aaron Rodgers this season.
The claim comes after Adams said in Netflix’s “Receiver” docuseries that he “signed off on” the Raiders benching Jimmy Garoppolo when the team was struggling last season, and that something had to happen “for me to remain a Raider, in all honesty.”
“I think Davante Adams plays for the Jets this season,” Orlovsky said Tuesday. “The reason why I say that is this: Have you watched Netflix, the ‘Receiver’ stuff, have you seen the frustration from Davante Adams? It’s not that much better of a situation (now.) The only reason it wouldn’t happen is if he would feel bad about leaving Antonio Pierce, their new head coach.”
The Raiders enter training camp with 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew at quarterback.
O’Connell had 2,218 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games (10 starts) last season, while Minshew had 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 games (13 starts) for the Colts last season.
Adams, 31, has still been very productive in Las Vegas despite not having a quarterback like Rodgers, who he played with for eight years in Green Bay.
Rodgers even poured fuel on the reunion rumors over the weekend at the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, saying he “can’t wait to play with him — again.”
What Orlovsky didn’t say was how an Adams trade between the Raiders and Jets would work.
The Jets signed Mike Williams to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million in free agency to be their No. 2 wideout behind Garrett Wilson, and they have $6.25 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
A team acquiring Adams would have to pay him $17.5 million this season, the third of a five-year, $140 million contract.
And the Raiders will certainly want a hefty trade package in return.
“You’ve already gone all-in. You have to make this work,” Orlovsky said. “If you don’t win the Super Bowl, this is going to be one of the more disappointing acquisitions and runs and wasted talented teams that we’ve seen in the NFL in many years.
“I think this is a done deal. At some point, Davante Adams plays for the Jets this season.”
Orlovsky’s take didn’t sit well with WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti, who told co-host Boomer Esiason he thinks Orlovsky “ripped you off” after Esiason said Monday he was “hearing” an Adams trade could happen in late August or early September.