Davante Adams Rumors: Raiders Don't Want to Eat Contract in Trade; 'Willing to Wait'

The Los Angeles Raiders want to make a clean break with both wide receiver Davante Adams and his sizable contract.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Sunday the Raiders "don't want to eat any money" in a trade involving Adams. Colleague Tom Pelissero added the six-time Pro Bowler may have to restructure his deal in order to get any swap over the finish line.

Per Pelissero, rival teams "believe in the next one to two days this is potentially going to come to a head" but that Las Vegas is "willing to wait" for a good offer.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Oct. 1 the Raiders would "consider" moving Adams in return for a second-round pick and other compensation. The absence of a trade to this point probably indicates an offer that good hasn't materialized just yet.

Schefter followed up Saturday to report that negotiations "are expected to intensify next week," citing Adams' hamstring injury as a factor slowing the process.

"Potential acquiring teams also are hesitant to make firm offers knowing that the Raiders could use those offers to establish a market for Adams," he reported. "That market therefore has not warmed up as much as it will in the future, with the NFL's Nov. 5 trade deadline looming.

"The Raiders have let interested teams know that team owner Mark Davis will not accept anything less than a second-round draft pick in return for Adams, along with additional compensation that could be in the form of a draft pick or a player, according to league sources."

Garafolo and Pelissero's reporting highlights how the Raiders at least have some incentive to simply ride things out and cut Adams in the offseason.

Trading the 31-year-old would create $17.5 million in salary cap space right now and saddle Las Vegas with a dead money hits of $7.9 million in 2024 and $15.7 million in 2025, per Spotrac.

If the Raiders were to identify Adams as a post-June 1 release this coming spring, however, they'd save $36.3 million and have dead money hits of $7.9 million in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

In the latter scenario, Las Vegas would miss out on one or more draft picks that could aid in the ongoing rebuild. The cap savings the front office would get from releasing him might cancel that out, though.