The Jets were already all-in on trying to save their season. Now they’ve gone further with Tuesday’s agreement to trade for Las Vegas star receiver Davante Adams.
The Jets finally made the long-awaited move for Adams and paid a significant price, sending a conditional third-round pick to the Raiders that could become a second round pick, according to ESPN. NFL Network which first reported the deal.
Dealing for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ all-time favorite target – Rodgers and Adams spent eight dominant years together with the Packers – almost certainly won’t hurt the Jets (this year, at least) as they try to turn around their underperforming offense and start living up to their expectations of being a playoff contender.
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Still, there’s absolutely no guarantee that acquiring Adams will make enough of a difference to get the Jets to where they want to go. Less than 12 hours before the trade was agreed to we all saw the Jets look about the with interim coach Jeff Ulbrich as they did with Robert Saleh, who they fired last week.
Rodgers, who turns 41 in December, is hobbled with a low ankle sprain after he took 25 quarterback hits and eight sacks in the last two games.
Adams will give Rodgers a receiver he can rely on when things get tough, and take some of the attention from opposing defenses off their two young offensive stars, running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, after both faced early-season struggles.
But it won’t solve the Jets myriad issues with blitz pickup which the Broncos and Vikings exposed before the Jets’ improved showing still wasn’t good enought to beat the Bills.
There are also some questions about Adams’ production and durability after the 31-year-old’s receivers numbers dipped in 2023 and he missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Adams had 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in the first three games of the season with the Raiders.
But there’s an argument to be made that adding Adams, who also had success under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay where he helped Rodgers to back-to-back MVP awards in 2001 and 2001 – can help the Jets improve on their two biggest offensive issues (aside from handling the blitz): slow starts (they haven’t scored in the first quarter since Week 2 and have just one first down in their previous two first quarters) and a lack of explosive plays (they have only one play for more than 30 yards this season).
The Jets are at a crossroads at 2-4 with obvious frustration setting in among the fan base and in the locker room after back-to-back brutal losses. Rodgers urged his teammates to “stick together” and backed leadership after Sunday’s loss, adding that he believes the Jets have what it takes to “make a run.”
But the Jets are in the midst of a brutally tough stretch of their schedule with two of their next three games against contenders in primetime: they travel to play the Steelers (3-2) on Sunday Night Football in on Sunday, and host the Texans (4-1) on Thursday Night Football in Week 9 with a trip to New England in between.
The good news? Somehow, the Jets haven’t fallen out of the playoff chase despite their lackluster start. They’re only a game out of the final spot in the AFC even at 2-4.
They’re banking on Adams to help them close that gap.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
