In a scene that has been building for a while, the Raiders are wide receiver Davante Adams made it clear today that he prefers to be traded. The timing of today’s events was a bit surprising, but according to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, “the situation has been simmering for some time.” Reed points out that the Raiders are just 16-22 since Adams’ arrival in Las Vegas and that Adams has been on the receiving end of passes from six different quarterbacks.

A catalyst for the recent developments could have been the official hiring of a head coach Antonio Pierce following his term as interim head coach last season. While Pierce’s official promotion was a popular decision among the players in Las Vegas, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Pierce’s relationship with the team’s star receiver has deteriorated recently. As a result, teams became aware yesterday that Adams could be available in a trade, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

Howe adds that “the general projection so far is” that Adams will draw a third-round draft pick in a trade, perhaps more if a team pushes harder based on their interest level. This doesn’t necessarily reflect the Raiders’ wishes, as ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez informed readers that they would consider trading Adams “for a package that would include a second-round draft pick and additional compensation.”

However, the ‘additional compensation’ part of that package could be difficult to come by, as there seems to be an assumption that acquiring Adams will require some adjustments and restructuring of his current contract. According to NFL’s Jonathan Jones on CBS, this would likely require teams to gain access to communications with Adams to negotiate a restructuring.

Due to the potential capital commitment that will be required for a restructured deal, it appears that teams will push for compensation in the third round, as opposed to the second round. NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported that an NFC team has expressed interest in acquiring Adams, just not for a second-round pick. Anderson also suggested that some teams may push for Las Vegas to pick up some of Adams’ 2024 salary, a sticking point that could make it difficult for Adams to move.

It is an extremely fluid situation and the optics will likely continue to change in the coming days and weeks. For now, though, the Raiders are hoping for a second-round pick with some additional compensation, while other teams are hesitant to make a second-round pick knowing they’ll likely have to work out a new contract for the 31st. years old. It’s a situation to watch as things continue to develop.