The New York Jets’ front office didn’t take long to react to Monday night’s difficult loss to Buffalo, striking Tuesday morning by finalizing the long-speculated trade for wide receiver Davante Adams.
And oddsmakers took almost no time in adjusting their outlook for the Jets’ chances of rebounding to become a threat in the AFC by season’s end.
After New York fell to 2-4 with Monday’s loss, the Jets fell to +700 to win the AFC East and +1500 to win the AFC Championship at DraftKings. However, those odds shifted to +650 and +1300, respectfully, after news of the Adams deal broke Tuesday morning.
At BetMGM, the Jets’ odds of simply making the playoffs shortened from +165 to +140.
New York is currently third in its own division, a half-game back of 2-3 Miami. The Jets are 10th in the AFC standings, but only a game behind Indianapolis, which currently owns the final wild card spot at just 3-3.
While DraftKings kept their Super Bowl odds at +3000, the Jets’ title odds shifted from +3500 to +3000 at BetMGM.
REUNION TOUR
Adams has long been linked to a potential trade to the Jets, where he will be reunited with Aaron Rodgers, his quarterback in Green Bay for eight years. The Rodgers to Adams combination was responsible for 622 receptions, 7,590 yards and 69 touchdowns with the Packers.
Adams, 31, has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games this season. However, he has sat out the past three games while nursing a nagging hamstring injury and reportedly angling to be traded to one of a handful of teams.
The Jets rank 22nd in total offense through six games and while they are 16th in passing, Rodgers has been overly reliant on Garrett Wilson, who leads the team with 41 catches on 67 targets. Allen Lazard, another former running mate in Green Bay, is second with 26 catches on 40 targets, but has also been plagued by drops.
With Adams being brought into to complement Wilson, Lazard can now be utilized as the third receiver. Free-agent addition Mike Williams has only 10 catches for 145 yards and has yet to score as he returns from knee surgery.
STOKING THE FIRE
Rodgers, 40, is a four-time NFL MVP, but the addition of Adams isn’t likely to accelerate him to a fifth. He has an 84.4 passer rating with nine touchdowns against five interceptions while completing 61.8 percent of his passes.
DraftKings maintained Rodgers as a +5000 longshot to win MVP honors, putting him 16th among the players the book is offering odds on.
More important, Adams’ arrival comes ahead of a critical stretch of games. After road trips to Pittsburgh (4-2) and New England (1-5), the Jets return home to host AFC South leader Houston (5-1). They have four divisional games remaining, including two against the Dolphins.
HEFTY PRICE TAG
New York will reportedly send Las Vegas a conditional third-round pick for Adams that could be elevated to a second-round selection based on his individual performance the rest of this season, according to ESPN and The Athletic.
NFL Network reported the Jets have also agreed to take on the rest of Adams’ salary. He’s in the middle of the third season on a five-year, $140 million contract signed in 2022. That includes base salaries of $35.64 million in 2025 and 2026. However, according to the Spotrac sports salary database, none of the remaining money in his contract is guaranteed.
