Trouble In Paradise?

Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams attempted to quiet down notions of frustrations with the team with a simple Instagram post of him and General Manager Dave Ziegler.

#Raiders star WR Davante Adams weighs in to some recent articles with an Instagram post this morning. pic.twitter.com/oXWAw4mGJI

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 17, 2023

This comes days after an interview with The Ringer, where the three-time All Pro WR said he does not see “eye-to-eye” with the current team vision.

After acquiring Adams from the Green Bay Packers, hopes were high that the team would flourish in 2022 under Head Coach Josh McDaniels in his first year.

While Adams impressed with 1,516 yards, a league-high 14 touchdowns, and a career-high 15.2 yards per reception, the Raiders slumped to a 6-11 record and eventual benching of quarterback Derek Carr.

The Raiders released Carr following the season, despite a close relationship with Adams, and are instead going with free agent signing Jimmy Garoppolo for the time being. 

Time will tell how the revamped Raiders offense looks in ‘23 as they hope the performance on the field will get the 30-year-old receiver believing in the team once again.

Trubisky Time

While the Pittsburgh Steelers think they have their quarterback of the future, they made a move to lock up a long-term backup.

According to General Manager Omar Khan, the Steelers are finalizing a two-year extension with Mitchell Trubisky.

Details: It’s a 2-year extension for Mitch Trubisky that also lowers the QB’s cap number for the 2023 season (previously $10M). The two sides have agreed, as Omar Khan said on @PatMcAfeeShow. https://t.co/LdE6gNvY3J

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 18, 2023

Trubisky signed an initial two-year deal with Pittsburgh in the spring of 2022 after a rocky tenure as the number two overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Bears.

After four starts, Head Coach Mike Tomlin opted to bench Trubisky in favor of 2022 first round pick Kenny Pickett. 

Though Pittsburgh remains high on Pickett, Trubisky is among the upper-tier of backup quarterbacks that can stabilize an offense in case of injury.

Lawson Pay Cut

The New York Jets are reworking their deal for starting defensive end Carl Lawson. 

Jets DE Carl Lawson has agreed to a reworked deal, per source.

Lawson was due a non-guaranteed $15M, but is now due a base value of $9M, $8M of that is guaranteed. He has $3M more available in incentives.

The move creates $12.7M in 2023 cap space for the Jets.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 18, 2023

Lawson is taking on a base salary pay cut for a higher guaranteed salary that keeps him on the Jets in 2023 and gives the team more cap space.

The 27-year-old was entering his third and final year of his initial $45 million deal with the Jets. 

After missing all of 2021 with a torn achilles, Lawson finished second on the team in sacks during the 2022 season that saw a revitalized New York defense. 

But with the recent draft pick of EDGE Will McDonald at 15th overall, the future of the defensive end position in Robert Saleh’s defense is likely led by McDonald and 2022 first rounder Jermaine Johnson.

With the newly created cap space, General Manager Joe Douglas could look to use it elsewhere on the defensive line, where All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is looking for a new deal.