Mark Davis on the Davante Adams trade: “Players come and go”

The Raiders acquired receiver Davante Adams' contract for two weeks. On Tuesday, the Jets completed a deal that sends him from the 2-4 Raiders to the 2-4 Jets.

At quarterly league meetings in Atlanta, owner Mark Davis discussed the decision to move on from Adams, 37 games into his tenure with the team.

“It's part of this life in football“Davis told TheAthletic.com. “Players come and go. If things don't work out, they don't work out. (GM) Tom Telesco did a good job today making sure we have as few distractions as possible going forward.”

The word “distraction” underscores the reality that the recent report that the Raiders might keep Adams through the end of the year was nothing more than an attempt to get the best possible trade terms from his new team.

Although Davis certainly wasn't happy with the prospect of paying Adams $983,333 a week if he didn't play, Davis said he left the situation up to Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce.

“I’ll leave those decisions up to the general manager and head coach,” Davis said. “They make the football decisions. I consult with them and may play devil’s advocate a lot, but they make the decisions and they make the final decision.”

Ultimately, the Raiders took on none of Adams' remaining salary. That certainly kept them from getting the second-round pick they wanted for Adams – a second-round pick they'll only get if he becomes a first- or second-team All-Pro.

Considering he's already missed three games this year, he'll need to put up big numbers in the final 11 games to make the All-Pro team. To date in 2024, he has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown. That puts him in a nine-way tie for 76th in the league in receptions. He is 70th in receiving yards.

Ultimately, the Raiders gave up a first-round pick and a second-round pick to Adams while only getting a third back. They also paid him more than $55 million for his 37 games in Las Vegas.

Along the way, they never made the playoffs once, compiling a 16-24 record during Adams' tenure with the team.

Nevertheless, lemonade and/or chicken salad are still part of the trade today. They would continue to pay him $983,333 per week for 12 weeks, and they would have cut him before the start of the 2025 league year, when his massive $35.64 million salary would have landed on the books.