BakoSaint

No I didn't misunderstand. I just contended that Engram's hamstring injury could be fake too. He could be fed up with the Jags and looking to play for a contender. Likewise, its hard to tell if all of our injured players are really injured. Lattimore, Thomas, and Winston were 'injured' a lot last year, and it could be that they were just in DA's dog house. Likewise who knows if AT Perry is actually injured or if the team is diagnosing him with some made up stuff to justify cutting him because he somehow took Winston's side on the victory formation thing.

My point is that I don't care if Adams is 100% healthy. He is also 100% 31 years and 9 months old. Basically the same age as Julio Jones when traded to the Titans. He is a player whose pff scores have declined from the 90's in 2022 and prior to 79 in 2023 to 64 in 2024. 64 is still enough to make a few plays if the ball is forced his way but would make him our #3 WR. But with that rate of decline it won't be enough to even be a #3 WR or regular contributor in 2025, in 2025 he projects to be Bucs Julio Jones. But we could risk paying our #4/5 WR $36 million next year if he is injured this year and can't be cut. I would rather not give up draft picks and considerable money for a #3 WR with a potential poison pill to nuke our 2025 cap.

It's also possible the Raiders know Adams has lost a step and they, not his agent, are encouraging him to sit out while demanding a trade. If he has lost a step, the more tape there is to show it, the lower his trade value. They also may be hesitant to risk owing him $36 million in 2025 if he tears his ACL. If Adams has lost a step, having him sit out so no more damning evidence makes it to the tape, and simultaneously engineering a whispering campaign that he is 100% but just wants a trade, is actually a great strategy from the Raiders to maximize his value. Maybe the Saints could have got picks for Lattimore in trade if they had convinced teams he has been injury free and only missed games to angle for a trade and is still the same player as a few years ago.

If we win against the Chiefs, indicating we are more competitive than I think, I could see adding Adams if the cost is cheap, the Raiders cover a bit of his salary, and he would agree to a fundamentally different contract that does not put $36 million on the books for 2025. A reasonable agreement could be to change his 2025 and 2026 salaries to $8 million but give him the ability to opt out either year. This way he has some protection from injury but not $36 million protection from injury. The end result is the same that he would likely either be a 1 year rental or have to renegotiate again to stay, but for the rest of THIS season having $8 million on the books if he tears an ACL like Dez Bryant is MUCH MUCH safer than being on the hook for $36 million if he pulls a Dez.

If we lose against the Chiefs, I think we need to wait for the Bucs game to make any moves. If we lose to the Bucs too, I think we need to consider being sellers in the trade market. A wise man once said that you need to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. That doesn't mean you never fold them because you try to win every hand until the end no matter what the cost is.