Raiders star Adams requests trade after awkward Instagram incident

A blockbuster trade could be on the horizon in the NFL after Davante Adams informed the Las Vegas Raiders of his preference to move on before the league’s November 5 trade deadline.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo were first to report the news on Tuesday, with Adams having been subject to trade speculation since last season.

It comes after the emergence of a screenshot that appeared to show Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce ‘liking’ an Instagram post reading ‘Don’t be surprised if Davante Adams has already played his last snap with the Raiders’.

Adams, who missed the Week Four win over the Cleveland Browns with a hamstring injury, addressed the screenshot during his weekly appearance on Kay Adams’ ‘Up & Adams Show’ on Tuesday.

“I haven’t heard from [Antonio Pierce]. I haven’t talked to him,” Adams said. “I don’t really know exactly what that was about. It’s one of those situations where I just keep my head down and keep doing my thing and let the chips fall where they may.

“There’s been no communication with anybody from the team since that became a thing, but it’s kind of just like the weekly, ‘What’s up with Tae?’ thing. It’s always some sort of drama. But, at the end of the day, 17 doesn’t create any of it.

“So, people can say what they want, but I’m just chilling and trying to be the model for not stirring the pot and just locking in and doing what I got to do.”

Any trade for Adams is likely to come at a hefty price, with the three-time All-Pro’s $16.8m base salary for the season being fully guaranteed. Beyond that, he is due to receive $35.6m in 2025 and $36.6m in 2026 over the final two years of his contract.

The Raiders would suffer a $15.7m cap hit in dead money were they to trade him away.

Adams spent his first eight seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, before being traded to the Raiders to reunite with former Fresno State college team-mate Derek Carr in 2022.

He has posted four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and five in his last six campaigns, and has the most receiving touchdowns in the league since his first 1,000-yard campaign in 2018.

The 31-year-old has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games in 2024.

News of his potential availability comes at a time when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs face problems at receiver after losing leading weapon Rashee Rice and offseason addition Hollywood Brown for the year as they look to win three successive Championships.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could also be potential, perhaps more likely, suitors following their offseason pursuit of San Francisco 49ers Brandon Aiyuk as they seek support for George Pickens, along with the Washington Commanders as they look to capitalise on rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ lightning start to the year. And such is his deep-rooted relationship with Rodgers, the Super Bowl-chasing New York Jets could yet find themselves in the conversation.

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