Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are finally reunited after more than two years of separation and one year of speculation, and now they’ll try to save the New York Jets’ sinking season.
The Jets acquired the disgruntled Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, sending a conditional third-round pick in next year’s draft that could become a second-rounder.
“We’re back, man,” Adams said while briefly joining Rodgers at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, for the quarterback’s weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “We’re back.”
The deal was agreed upon Tuesday morning and was contingent on Adams passing his physical. The teams officially announced the trade a few hours later.
“Obviously, I’m really excited,” said Rodgers, who spoke to Adams a few hours after the Jets’ 23-20 loss to Buffalo on Monday night and the wide receiver told him he was joining him in New York.
“I love Tae,” the quarterback added. “He’s a phenomenal player and a dear friend.”
In another trade Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills’ patchwork group of receivers is getting a boost, with the team acquiring Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns.
The 31-year-old Adams immediately boosts a Jets offence that has been inconsistent through the first part of the season. The three-time All-Pro joins Garrett Wilson to give Rodgers two No. 1-calibre wide receivers to throw to, complementing fellow receivers Mike Williams, Allen Lazard and Xavier Gipson, tight end Tyler Conklin and running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
“It’s on us now,” Rodgers said. “We’re going all in.”
Adams, who missed the Raiders’ last three games with a hamstring injury, reportedly told the team he wanted out of Las Vegas, and the team was willing to accommodate his request.
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said he was “ecstatic” to have Adams join the team but added it was too early to assess whether the wide receiver will be ready to play Sunday night at Pittsburgh.
And Adams is back with Rodgers, the quarterback with whom he enjoyed eight seasons of success catching passes from in Green Bay.
The deal came less than 12 hours after the Jets lost to the Bills, a game in which Rodgers threw a Hail Mary just before halftime but also was intercepted on New York’s final drive for the second straight week. It was a game marked by penalties, mistakes and missed opportunities on offence, and dropped the Jets to 2-4 amid in a three-game skid.
“It’s frustrating,” Rodgers said. “I’m here to win those games, but we’ve got to be on our details. It’s little things every single time.”
Cooper in 10th NFL season
For Cooper, Buffalo gave up a third-round pick in the 2025 draft as part of the trade that also included a swap of late-round picks. Buffalo also acquired a 2025 sixth-round draft pick and sent Cleveland a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Bills.
The 30-year-old Cooper is in his 10th season and third in Cleveland, where he and the rest of the offence have struggled under quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Cooper has 24 catches on 53 targets for 250 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in a 21-15 loss to the New York Giants in Week 3. He’s been limited to 12 catches for 137 yards in his past three outings.
In Buffalo, he joins a Josh Allen-led offence that lacks proven receiving threat after the team traded Stefon Diggs to Houston in the off-season and lost No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. The decision to move on from Diggs and Davis were made as part of the Bills overall bid to fix their payroll and free up salary cap space beyond this season.
Cooper is in the final year of his contract, which he restructured last summer.
Acquired by Cleveland in a 2022 trade from the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper had been one of the team’s leaders and best players, gaining more than 1,100 yards receiving the past two seasons.
However, the past few months have been odd for the dependable veteran.
He skipped minicamp in a contract holdout before the Browns re-worked the final year of his contract. Cooper was then the subject of rampant trade rumors – mostly involving San Francisco – before the buzz quieted down in recent weeks. Cooper hasn’t been the same on the field, either, dropping several passes that have contributed to Watson’s struggles.
Cooper opened his career with the Oakland Raiders and has topped 1,000 yards receiving seven times.
