By Jason Alwang
On Tuesday, October 15, the New York Jets traded for star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The trade saw Adams come to New York, where the Jets are taking on 100% of his contract and trading away a conditional third-round pick that can potentially lead to a second-round pick later on. For that to happen, Adams would need to be on the AFC championship game roster and a first-or second-team all-pro to change the pick from a third to a second-rounder.
The trade came shortly after the Jets had lost to the Buffalo Bills on their home turf at MetLife Stadium, dropping their season record to 2-4 – well behind the first-place Bills. Jets owner Woody Johnson has been adamant that the team’s roster was talented enough to make the playoffs, though this trade suggested something else was needed. The Jets hope the trade will catapult them into the playoffs despite their lackluster record.
This trade also came one week after the Jets had fired head coach Robert Saleh and named Jeff Ulbrich the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Another move that came with that was Todd Downing, who was the team’s passing game coordinator, made his debut as the play caller, replacing Nathanial Hackett. It was later learned that Hackett is still with the organization, Ulbrich just thought a change in playcalling could help spark the offensive side of the ball.
Mike Willams, Allen Lazard, and Garrett Wilson will join Adams on a receiving core that is expected to be among the best in the league the rest of the way. Slight controversy came over Willams when Rodgers mentioned post-game that he didn’t run the correct route, which resulted in Rodgers’ game-sealing interception for the Bills’ victory. However, Willams recently said he’s good to go for their Sunday night football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the 20th.
The Jets’ hope now is that with Rodgers and Adams back together again, like they were in Green Bay, they can take that and clinch their first postseason berth in 13 seasons.
