Davante Adams' Trade to Jets Seen as 'Necessary Move' by NFL Execs amid Struggles

NFL executives believe that the New York Jets made a "necessary move" to acquire wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 conditional third-round draft pick.

"Talking to executives on the ground here in Atlanta, the feeling is the Jets made a necessary move for Adams, given this season has to work," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote from Atlanta, where the NFL's annual fall league meetings are currently taking place. "It could all blow up in 2025."

The desperate Jets went all-in on four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending Achilles just a few plays into the 2023 season.

Hope reigned going into 2024 with a healthy Rodgers back in the mix, but the team started 2-3 before owner Woody Johnson parted ways with head coach Robert Saleh.

New York fought hard Monday against the Buffalo Bills in interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich's first game, but the team fell 23-20 and now sits at 2-4.

Simply put, it's easy to see why executives feel getting Adams, who was Rodgers' former teammate with the Green Bay Packers from 2014-2021, was a necessary move.

Rodgers turns 41 in December and is under contract through 2025, so there isn't a lot of time for the pot-committed Jets to make the most of the current situation. All they can do is go all-in and hope for a turnaround.

The good news is that Rodgers and Adams have a tremendous rapport that could light up a team that averages just 18.8 points per game (22nd in the league). They played together from 2014-2021, with Rodgers winning NFL MVP in 2020 and 2021. From 2016-2021, Adams had a 17-game average of 114 catches for 1,405 yards and 13 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. In their last year together, Adams posted a 123/1,553/11 stat line.

Granted, this was a few years ago. Rodgers is a few years older and only 13 months removed from a serious injury. The 31-year-old Adams is dealing with his own ailment, a hamstring injury that has cost him a few weeks. He told Pat McAfee on Tuesday that he's feeling great at the moment.

The Jets are "hopeful" Adams can play Sunday night at the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to SNY's Connor Hughes. If so, Rodgers and Adams will be wearing a new shade of green for a huge primetime game, with kickoff set for 8:20 p.m. ET.