Davante Adams's Jets release was more about his massive contract than Aaron Rodgers
Davante Adams is no longer a New York Jet.
Faced with another year of rebuilding, a new head coach and a new starting quarterback, the Jets opted to hit reset and lean into their younger assets. Releasing Adams leaves behind nearly $8.4 million in dead salary cap obligations for New York this offseason. It also clears nearly $30 million in space for a five-win team to rebuild its offensive line, find a new quarterback or buttress a defense whose stars dimmed as a lost 2024 wore on.
It's a move that will make the Jets worse on the field in a way that doesn't really matter. When Aaron Rodgers's eventual post-June 1 release goes through, it will leave New York with more than $60 million to spend in a market where teams have nearly $1.2 billion to unload on an uninspiring free agent class.
The team will be left with Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis and Adrian Martinez under contract at quarterback. It will have the chance to throw cash at a veteran class of quarterbacks led by Sam Darnold and whichever starter the Pittsburgh Steelers don't bring back (Russell Wilson or Justin Fields). The Jets have the seventh overall pick in a two quarterback draft, and even those quarterbacks (Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders) have a host of questions about their true pro potential.
Rather than let two Maseratis slowly degrade with economy gasoline in their tanks -- Garrett Wilson is under contract through at least 2025 and probably 2026 once general manager Darren Mougey exercises the fifth year on his rookie deal -- New York opted to start over. Now Wilson gets the chance to lift whatever underwhelming quarterback steps up to underthrow his deep routes. He gets to see his target share rise along with the defensive focus he'll pull as the top dog in a receiving room that also features Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley and, at least until he's traded or cut, Allen Lazard.
That doesn't mean the release was entirely divorced from Rodgers. If the Jets had opted to keep the 41-year-old former four-time MVP it would be difficult to see New York moving on from the man who'd been his huckleberry for eight years as a Green Bay Packer and 11 games as a New York Jet. Indeed, the 32-year-old wideout still has plenty to offer the NFL. He had 854 receiving yards in that brief foray in green and white and his 2.14 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked 26th among all wide receivers -- better than Tee Higgins, Tyreek Hill or DK Metcalf.
But the fact the Jets couldn't find a taker for him in trade talks suggests they weren't the only team who understood he wasn't worth the massive cost the Las Vegas Raiders lined up when they acquired him from Green Bay in 2022. Now he gets to pick his next suitor and start a bidding war in the middle of a wideout market whose biggest attraction -- Higgins -- just got franchise tagged. Who'd be interested? The Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills could offer him a chance to chase a Super Bowl ring. The Washington Commanders, even after trading for Deebo Samuel, could use their cap space to double-dip with All-Pro veteran targets.
Either way, the Jets saw the writing on the wall and made a prudent decision. Adams wasn't worth the near $30 million in savings he created. With that contract, he wasn't going to bring back a significant trade return. Releasing him to free agency doesn't make the team better, but it creates the space that could. That's not an Aaron Rodgers related decision; it was just a sensible one.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: No, Davante Adams's release isn't about Aaron Rodgers (mostly)
