Latest development indicates the Packers-Raiders Davante Adams trade was a miscalculation for everyone
Look at the Detroit Lions-Los Angeles Rams trade involving Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. It was a true win-win. The Rams got their high-ceiling quarterback and won a Super Bowl, while the Lions got a decent replacement for Stafford and the draft capital necessary to rebuild. But it's not always like that. Two years ago, […]
Look at the Detroit Lions-Los Angeles Rams trade involving Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. It was a true win-win. The Rams got their high-ceiling quarterback and won a Super Bowl, while the Lions got a decent replacement for Stafford and the draft capital necessary to rebuild.
But it's not always like that. Two years ago, star wide receiver Davante Adams asked for a trade, and the Green Bay Packers made it happen, sending him to the Las Vegas Raiders for first- and second-round picks. Now, Adams is unhappy again and wants a new trade, which might happen as early as this week — the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints are the most talked-about potential buyers.
Everything that happened since that deal in 2022 indicates that the trade ended up being a loss for everyone involved — including the Packers, who at the time got a good compensation for the move.
Why the Raiders lost
When the Raiders made the decision to acquire Davante Adams, it was the first offseason of general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels leading the franchise. There were high expectations, especially after the Raiders had made the playoffs with Rich Bisaccia as the interim head coach in 2021.
The problem is that it all went south fast. McDaniels and Ziegler didn't finish their second with the franchise, and the new regime isn't as committed to Adams because they didn't make the move to acquire him.
Even though Adams had two strong individual seasons, he couldn't translate his own performance into a great collective offensive unit — highlighting a discussion about wide receiver value. After the Raiders paid two high draft picks to acquire him and gave Adams a five-year extension, he was a frequent trade candidate starting in year 2, which tells you everything you need to know.
Now, the Raiders are asking for a second-round pick — and might not even get it.
Why Davante lost
Adams wanted to be close to his family, and we can't talk much about that because it goes beyond football. But the main football reason why Adams chose the Las Vegas Raiders was because their quarterback was Derek Carr, an old friend from their time together at Fresno State.
After one season, though, Carr was gone — a weird outcome after McDaniels and Ziegler had committed to him one year earlier. It was all a short-term decision.
The biggest problem is that the Raiders didn't have a clear succession plan in place. Last season, they signed Jimmy Garoppolo and it went as bad as you could expect. This year, it's Gardner Minshew — and maybe Aidan O'Connell again.
They didn't even draft a rookie, as they are just threading water at this point. For a wide receiver getting older, it's simply impossible to be in this situation — especially because Adams left the Packers in part for his considerations about the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love.
Now, Adams wants to be with Aaron Rodgers again — or at least with Derek Carr.
Why the Packers lost
At the moment of the trade, the compensation package seemed good enough. The Packers received the 22nd and the 53rd picks in 2022, plus a huge amount of cap space — they had used the franchise tag to keep Adams from hitting free agency.
Well, the cap space part has still been a net positive for Green Bay. But the draft results have not. With the 22nd pick, the Packers reached considering the consensus big board to get Quay Walker, a player from a non-premium position. To make things worse, he hasn't been any good.
The other pick was packaged with the 59th selection, the Packers' original second-rounder, to move up and grab wide receiver Christian Watson. The idea was that Watson would be a part of the plan to replace Adams — a plan that also involved fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs and free agent addition Sammy Watkins.
Looking from a broader perspective, the Packers were more successful with their plan than the Raiders — after all, now they have a solid receiver room, with a lot of young talent, and a good cap situation.
However, the selection of Walker in the first round was a bad process with a bad outcome, and Watson hasn't been a top weapon. Meanwhile, being without Adams in 2022 probably cost the Packers a playoff spot in the last season of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, the final year of that Super Bowl window.
Change doesn't always go like planned, and it certainly did not for Davante Adams.
