The Las Vegas Raiders have made a blockbuster move to keep up in the AFC West, acquiring All-Pro receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers.

A person familiar with the move said Thursday the Raiders are sending the No. 22 overall pick in the April draft and additional compensation to the Packers to reunite Adams with his college quarterback, Derek Carr. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced.

NFL Network reported that Adams has agreed to a new five-year deal with the Raiders that will pay him $141.25 million in the richest deal ever for a wide receiver.

This was an aggressive move by the Raiders new regime led by Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler and the latest in an AFC West arms race as teams try to catch Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Denver traded for quarterback Russell Wilson and the Chargers acquired edge rusher Khalil Mack.

Now the Raiders are trying to keep pace and build on a 10-win season that sent them to the playoffs for the second time in the past 19 seasons.

Carr has a strong history with Adams, playing two seasons together in college at Fresno State. In their final year together in 2013, Adams had 131 catches for 1,719 yards and 24 TDs. Adams has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL in recent years. His 432 catches, 5,310 yards receiving and 47 TD receptions lead the NFL over the past four seasons.

He had 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 TDs last season when he made his second straight All-Pro team.

This trade comes less than two weeks after the Packers placed the franchise tag on Adams, a move that meant he would have been due to receive just over $20 million for the 2022 season if the two sides didn’t work out an extension before July 15.

BROWNS: Baker Mayfield wants out of Cleveland. The Browns aren’t willing to let him go just yet.

Mayfield requested to be traded from the Browns on Thursday after the team failed in its pursuit of Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Mayfield asked to be dealt shortly after the Browns were told by Watson that he wasn’t coming to Cleveland, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The team, in turn, denied Mayfield’s demand, said a person with knowledge of the Browns’ decision.

Led by Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam, the Browns sent a delegation to Houston on Tuesday and met with Watson, who became a potential option after a grand jury declined to indict him last week. Watson had been accused by 22 women of sexual misconduct.

Watson is also being pursed by Atlanta, New Orleans and Carolina.

The Browns’ overtures toward Watson triggered a strong reaction from Mayfield, whose feelings were hurt. He ended his social media hiatus by posting a letter on Twitter and Instagram, expressing disappointment and confusion over the situation.

Mayfield struggled last season after hurting his left shoulder in Week 2 as the Browns fell way short of expectations and missed the playoffs. Browns General Manager Andrew Berry has said he was confident Mayfield would bounce back in 2022 and be the starter.

However, it now appears the relationship between Mayfield and the Browns may be broken beyond repair. Cleveland may have to trade for another QB, sign a free agent or draft a prospect.

PATRIOTS: New England signed former Saints wide receiver/running back Ty Montgomery to a two-year, $4 million contract, according to multiple reports.

Montgomery, 29, also plays on special teams andcould help offset the losses of running back Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson, who doubled as special teams regulars.

JETS: The New York Jets and defensive end Jacob Martin have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $16.5 million, according to a person with direct knowledge of the contract.

Martin helps bolster New York’s pass rush after playing the past three seasons for the Houston Texans. He’s the brother of former Jets linebacker and special teams standout Josh Martin.

The 26-year-old edge rusher has 13 1/2 career sacks, including four last season. He was a sixth-round draft pick of Seattle out of Temple in 2018. Before the 2019 season, Martin was part of a trade by the Seahawks to the Texans for Jadeveon Clowney.

BILLS: Cole Beasley can forget trying to negotiate a trade out of Buffalo now that he’s a free agent after being cut by the Bills.

The Bills made the move to cut their top slot receiver to free up salary cap space a day after making a huge splash in free agency by signing two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Von Miller to a six-year contract.

Beasley’s tenure in Buffalo was already in question with his release coming two weeks after the Bills granted the 10th-year player permission to negotiate a trade. Beasley had one year left on a four-year contract he signed with Buffalo as one of the team’s key free-agent additions in 2019 after spending his first seven seasons in Dallas.

His departure further drains Buffalo’s depth at receiver behind Stefon Diggs, with Emmanuel Sanders entering free agency and having yet to determine whether he’ll retire. Gabriel Davis returns for a third season and Buffalo re-signed Isaiah McKenzie to a two-year contract on Monday.

COWBOYS: The Dallas Cowboys are releasing right tackle La’el Collins in the second cost-cutting move involving one of their starters on offense, two people with knowledge of the decision said.

Collins is being designated as a post-June 1 cut to save more money under the salary cap this year. Dallas gets $10 million in cap space this season.

The release of the 29-year-old Collins comes five days after the Cowboys traded receiver Amari Cooper to Cleveland for cap relief. Dallas is moving on from three offensive starters after not re-signing left guard Connor Williams, who is headed to Miami.

FALCONS: The Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson and cornerback Teez Tabor.

The Falcons also re-signed two restricted free agents, offensive lineman Colby Gossett and defensive lineman Anthony Rush.

RAMS: The Los Angeles Rams agreed to terms on a three-year contract for receiver Allen Robinson, one of the NFL’s most dependable veteran pass-catchers during his eight seasons in the league.

Robinson has three 1,000-yard seasons during a productive career split between Jacksonville and Chicago. He caught 38 passes for 410 yards while limited to just 12 games by injuries for the Bears, but he racked up 2,397 yards and 13 TDs in his previous two seasons combined in Chicago.

PACKERS: All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is staying with Green Bay.

Campbell, 28, was the Packers’ first inside linebacker to earn first-team All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke did it in 1966. Campbell had a career-high 145 tackles and gave the Packers the playmaking linebacker they had lacked in recent seasons.

GIANTS: New York released veteran safety Logan Ryan and re-signed backup offensive lineman Korey Cunningham.

The Giants announced the moves Thursday while also confirming the free agent signings of quarterback Tyrod Taylor and offensive linemen Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano.

Ryan started 30 of 31 games after signing before the start of the 2020 season. He had a team-high 209 tackles in two seasons, including a career-best 117 this past season. He was the Giants’ nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service as well as excellence on the field.

LIONS: Detroit signed wide receiver DJ Chark to a $10 million, one-year contract in a short-term investment for a former Pro Bowl player coming off an injury-shortened season.

“Being hurt last year, I’m thankful to get an opportunity,” Chark said Thursday.

A broken ankle limited Chark to four games last season in Jacksonville. He earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2019 after he had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns with the Jaguars.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

NHL roundup: Bruins’ Bergeron to miss at least one more game

Next »

Spring is in the air as Red Sox, Twins open exhibition season