Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Davante Adams trade ends latest push by AFC West teams to stop Chiefs' dominance

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/15/24

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly finalizing a trade that will send wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets.

The six-time Pro Bowler has spent the last two-plus seasons with the Raiders after being traded from the Green Bay Packers (where he played his first eight years in the league) in March 2022.

Las Vegas' acquisition of Adams was one of a slew of moves that AFC West teams made that offseason in hopes of breaking up the Kansas City Chiefs' ongoing dominance within the division. The Chiefs have not only won back-to-back Super Bowls and three in the last five years, but captured the AFC West eight straight times.

At 5-0 and two games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Chargers (3-2), Kansas City appears well on its way to its ninth consecutive divisional crown.

Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team noted seven big additions that the Chargers, Raiders and Denver Broncos brought in during the offseason leading into the 2022 campaign, all of whom are no longer with the club.

The 2022 offseason was supposed to be the year the AFC West went all out to dethrone the #Chiefs: the Raiders added Davante Adams, Chandler Jones, and Josh McDaniels; the Broncos added Russell Wilson, Randy Gregory, and Nathaniel Hackett; and the Chargers did a big-money deal… pic.twitter.com/xpUgZt98Kz
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 15, 2024

Meirov first brought up the fleeing big names among the other AFC West teams in October 2023 when Denver released linebacker Randy Gregory.

That came days after the Raiders released former All-Pro defensive end Chandler Jones and just over one hour after the Chargers traded former Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson back to the New England Patriots.

Gregory, Jackson and Jones are all free agents.

The Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach prior to the 2022 season and traded for quarterback Russell Wilson in March of that year as well. Hackett was fired following Week 16 of his only season with a 4-11 record and Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March after two underwhelming years in Denver.

Prior to trading Adams on Tuesday, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels in January 2022. McDaniels led Las Vegas to a 6-11 mark that season and was fired last Halloween following a 3-5 start.

Kansas City, meanwhile, has kept the core of head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce together. The team has added two Super Bowls to its resume and now has a certain 14-time Grammy Award-winner as a full-time member of Chiefs Kingdom.

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