The Las Vegas Raiders’ potential U-turn to keep wide receiver Davante Adams could prove to be a costly decision for Tom Brady.
Earlier this month, Adams sent shockwaves across the NFL after informing the Raiders that he would like to be traded. Although several teams across the league have reportedly looked into acquiring his talents, one inside source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that there isn’t "phone-is-ringing-off-the-hook interest" in the 31-year-old.
The shortage of serious interest is hardly indicative of Adams’ skillset, but more so a knock on Las Vegas’ steep asking price. The Raiders have informed potential suitors that they’d like to receive a second-round draft pick and additional compensation in exchange for the six-time Pro Bowler.
Las Vegas is also hoping that whichever team trades for Adams will take on all the money remaining on his contract. With few NFL general managers rushing to meet these demanding requirements, the Raiders seem intent on holding onto their star wideout instead of dealing him for anything less than what he’s worth.
With each passing week that Adams remains a Raider, Las Vegas is forced to pay him $983,333 - the amount he makes for each game. To make matters worse, he’s been sidelined for the last three games after suffering a hamstring injury in practice prior to his team’s 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.
Despite recently missing time, Adams proved earlier this season that he still has plenty left in the tank. Over the Raiders’ first three games, he reeled in 18 catches on 27 targets for 209 yards and one touchdown.
It seemingly won’t be long before the exorbitant amount of money owed to Adams is coming out of Brady’s pockets. Per ESPN, the 47-year-old’s status as a minority owner of the Raiders is finally expected to be approved at the NFL fall league meeting in Atlanta.
The NFL's finance committee has already reviewed Brady’s ownership bid and will present it to all 32 owners from across the league on Tuesday. Only 24 of the NFL’s top brass are needed to approve the proposition.
Once the transaction goes through, Brady will have successfully purchased 10% of the Raiders franchise, which Forbes valued at $6.2 billion last year. While the deal was formally agreed upon by the ex-NFL quarterback, businessman Tom Wagner and team owner Mark Davis last May, it’s since undergone several changes after the league's financial committee argued it was being offered at too high of a discount.
