Jets fans dreaming of a Davante Adams trade this winter can have gotten woke up from that dream Friday.
The Raiders are removing the interim tag from Antonio Pierce and making him their head coach, in line with multiple reports.
That move may kill the concept that the Raiders would trade Adams this offseason or Adams would ask for a trade.
Adams, the team’s star receiver, had been unhappy early within the 2023 season when he was not being targeted often under coach Josh McDaniels.
That led to speculation that the Raiders might trade Adams.
The Jets inquired about Adams’ availability multiple times before the Oct. 31 trade deadline but were told Adams was not available.
McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were surprisingly fired the day after the trade deadline.
That led many to consider the Raiders would undergo a rebuild in 2024 and Adams may be available.
The Jets were an obvious suitor for Adams since they need a large receiver to pair with Garrett Wilson and quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Adams spent eight years as teammates with the Packers.
But Pierce, the previous Giants linebacker, replaced McDaniels and ended up going 5-4 over the remainder of the season.
Adams was one among several Raiders who were vocal of their support of Pierce.
“That’s my vote, and that’s principally how the entire locker room feels,” Adams said of Pierce getting the job. “With good reason. He’s are available in and done an ideal job. He’s continued to win us over. It’s not only the comfortable thing. I believe having AP here might be good for this organization. He form of embodies what it means to be a Raider. That mentality, that swag and all of the things he endorses [are] the things that I think in.
“It’s easy for a man like me, especially having handled him slightly bit this yr now and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team. All those things, all those different fields of being a head coach. Definitely rooting for him.”
The Raiders haven’t hired a GM yet but interim Champ Kelly could get the job.
With Adams’ support of Pierce, it seems highly unlikely he would now want out of Las Vegas.
The Raiders hiring Pierce also indicates they don’t feel like they need a complete rebuild.
All of that would leave the Jets without the choice of trading for Adams.
The Jets still could fill their hole at wide receiver through free agency.
Tee Higgins, Mike Evans and Michael Pittman are all scheduled to turn out to be free agents if their teams don’t re-sign them or use the franchise tag on them.
The Adams trade rumors won’t be totally crushed until Pierce or the team’s latest GM comes out and says they usually are not trading him, however it now feels more likely that he might be in silver and black in 2024 as an alternative of green and white.