The case for and against Raiders trading Davante Adams in 2024 offseason

Look, I get it. The season's not even over yet. The Raiders still have one last game to play -- at home, no less -- and a weirdly-large amount on the line for a sub-.500 football team. The vibes have been high since Antonio Pierce took over, and even more so since they went into Kansas City and beat the Chiefs. A (very winnable) game against the Broncos on Sunday could see them finish 2nd in the AFC West, which feels like a small miracle considering how, barely a month ago, they lost a [checks notes] 3-0 game to [checks notes again] an NFC North team.

But this site isn't named 'Blog When Seasonally Appropriate Baby.' So we're going to just blog, baby, because the brand is strong. (And also because the whole Davante Adams trade conversation isn't going away any time soon, sorry.) There's no time like the present, right?

So let's dive into why the Raiders should, or shouldn't, trade Davante Adams. It'll be fun!

Yes, the Raiders should trade Davante Adams and here's why

There are few things worse than a mediocre football team. They're not fun to watch, they don't seem fun to play for, and more often than not, aren't easy to improve. Being a eight- or nine-loss NFL team means that you've basically spent the last four months pushing a boulder up a hill, only for Hades, God of the Underworld and noted Kansas City Chiefs fan, to roll it back down, over and over again, for eternity. Not to be dramatic, but the Raiders are basically stuck in hell.

Here's where things stand: going into their final week, per game, their offense ranks 25th in total yards, 20th in passing, and 30th in rushing; they also rank 29th in total yards and 27th in 3rd down completion percentage. If you can believe it, an offense built by Josh McDaniels and run by Jimmy Garappolo and Aiden O'Connell didn't quite cut it.

Whoever gets to be the Raiders next non-interim head coach has an overwhelming amount of work to do on that side of the ball, and while NFL rebuilds don't have to be exhaustive, decade-long projects, the Raiders are – to use my one-alloted cliche per article – a year away from being a year away. (Maybe two?)

It'd be hard to blame Adams, who just turned 31 a few weeks ago, for not wanting to waste the back nine of his prime on a team with the type of timeline that the Raiders are probably working with. And it's not like his transcendent play has made much of a difference this season: it's hard to say whether his ability to somehow still get 100+ catches and 1,000 yards in this offense says more about him or the team he plays for.

The Jets are the obvious trade partner, but think about how useful said trade could be. Not only are they a team full of young talent, but their quarterback desperately wants to play with Adams again, and also basically makes all of their personnel decisions already. If Aaron Rodgers can force the Jets to sign Randall Cobb, think about the type of deal that could be made for a wide receiver who, you know, actually plays. The Raiders are in a tremendous position to sell high on a player who more-than-likely wouldn't be a huge contributor on their next title contender anyway.

Make the deal, send out the Thank You tweet, and enjoy next year's Jets implosion with a little more skin in the game.