The Las Vegas Raiders have been holding firm on their asking price for Davante Adams, but the longer they keep him on the roster, the more money they’re spending
Las Vegas Raiders’ hesitation in parting with Davante Adams might throw a spanner in the works for Tom Brady’s plans. Earlier this month, the NFL was sent into a frenzy when Adams relayed his wishes to leave the Raiders.
Despite interest from various teams, an insider shared with ESPN’s Adam Schefter that there isn’t “phone-is-ringing-off-the-hook interest” in the 31 year old veteran. The lackluster response isn’t a reflection of Adams’ abilities but rather the Raider’s high trade demands – they want a second-round draft pick plus more for the six-time Pro Bowler.
While confirming Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel addressed the team’s future amidst Jerry Jones acknowledging the ‘question marks’ facing the Dallas Cowboys as Dak Prescott undergoes self-reflection. In the trade scenario, Las Vegas also expects any takers for Adams to take on the financial burden of his contract.
As NFL executives appear reluctant to comply with such steep prerequisites, it seems the Raiders are leaning towards keeping their paramount receiver instead of trading him off for anything below his perceived value.
As each week passes with Adams still a Raider, Las Vegas is shelling out £752,000 – his weekly game fee. To add insult to injury, he’s been benched for the last three games due to a hamstring injury sustained in practice before his team’s 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.
Despite his recent absence, Adams demonstrated earlier this season that he’s far from finished. In the Raiders’ first three games, he caught 18 passes on 27 attempts for 209 yards and one touchdown. It seems it won’t be long before the hefty sum owed to Adams will be coming directly from Brady’s pocket.
According to ESPN, the 47 year old’s status as a minority owner of the Raiders is expected to be confirmed at the NFL fall league meeting in Atlanta. The NFL’s finance committee has already scrutinised Brady’s ownership bid and will present it to all 32 owners across the league on Tuesday.
Only 24 of the NFL’s owners are needed to approve the proposal. Once the deal is finalised, Brady will have successfully acquired 10% of the Raiders franchise, which Forbes valued at £4.7 billion last year.
While the deal was initially agreed upon by ex-NFL quarterback, businessman Tom Wagner and team owner Mark Davis last May, it has since undergone several changes after the league’s financial committee argued it was being offered at too high of a discount.
During the early talks, Davis expressed optimism to ESPN about Brady joining the Raiders, saying they’d reached a tentative deal awaiting NFL go-ahead. “We’re excited for Tom to join the Raiders,” Davis noted, stressing the historic aspect of the move: “And it’s exciting because he will be just the third player in the history of the National Football League to become an owner.”