Insider suggests Raiders' QB choice could reignite Davante Adams trade rumors

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce ended the NFL's most uninspiring quarterback competition of the summer when he named journeyman Gardner Minshew his starter over 2023 fourth-round draft pick Aidan O'Connell on Sunday. 

For a piece published Tuesday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic suggested that Pierce's decision could reignite trade rumors involving star wide receiver Davante Adams.

"Adams didn’t play [in this past Saturday's preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys], and while he seemed to be pushing for consistency and O’Connell, he will now have three weeks to get a lot of reps with Minshew," Tafur wrote. "His future — with an untenable $36M salary in 2025 — is up in the air and the Raiders need to get off to a good start to avoid the trade rumors getting louder and louder."

O'Connell went 5-5 as a rookie starter and seemingly entered training camp as the favorite to win the Las Vegas starting job. The 25-year-old failed to impress through the third weekend of August, and Tafur mentioned that Pierce, general manager Tom Telesco and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy ultimately "decided that Minshew was a better fit for the offense right now." 

As for Adams, he agreed to a five-year, $141.25M contract to join the Raiders via a trade from the Green Bay Packers in March 2022 so that he could play alongside Derek Carr, Adams' college quarterback at Fresno State. The Raiders parted ways with Carr after the 2022 season, and some continue to link Adams with the New York Jets since he and New York signal-caller Aaron Rodgers were teammates with Green Bay from 2014 through the 2021 campaign. 

"Rolling with Minshew was not what Adams, the coaches and fans had in mind back in April when they were dreaming about trading up for a quarterback in the NFL Draft," Tafur continued. "But for a team that is built to win behind its defense and just needs a quarterback to buy time and get the ball out, Minshew is the best option right now. And hopefully for the Raiders, that infectious quality Pierce referred to takes hold." 

Some insiders believe the Raiders could make Adams available this fall if the club has a losing record heading into the trade deadline set to arrive on Nov. 5. Meanwhile, the Jets offense has routinely endured struggles throughout training-camp practices. 

Perhaps New York could call Las Vegas about Adams' availability if the win-now Jets aren't fully enamored with their offense by the middle of October.