How the Jets' trade, Bills' counter move realign the AFC East chessboard

Less than 24 hours after a prime-time loss that featured a key miscommunication with one of his receivers, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is receiving the ultimate reinforcement.

The Jets acquired Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.

The Buffalo Bills, who defeated the Jets on Monday to consolidate their lead in the AFC East, followed up by acquiring Amari Cooper from Cleveland to add experience to their receivers' room.

The Jets' trade reunites Adams and Rodgers, who formed one of the most accomplished quarterback-wide receiver duos of this generation over eight seasons in Green Bay. Rodgers and Adams connected for 622 completions, 7,590 yards, and 69 touchdowns.

Let's dive into the trades and what they mean for everyone involved.

Win-now move?

All along, this Adams trade felt inevitable. According to league sources, the Jets on multiple instances checked in on Adams' availability dating back to last season. Las Vegas was content keeping him on its roster until last month when he had a falling-out with head coach Antonio Pierce and requested a trade.

Over two-plus seasons with the Raiders, Adams played in 37 games and recorded 221 catches for 2,869 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns.

A league source confirmed the Jets will pay Adams the remainder of his salary this season, approximately $11.59 million, according to Over The Cap. Adams' current contract runs through 2026, although his salary in 2025 and 2026 ($36.26 million in both seasons) is not guaranteed. After the Jets reportedly restructured his contract Tuesday to lower his salary cap number this year to $3.21 million, they'll likely need to restructure again to keep him beyond this season.

The Adams acquisition occurs just seven days after the Jets fired coach Robert Saleh in hopes of igniting a stagnant offense and salvaging the season.

Owner Woody Johnson has repeated the Jets are in win-now mode with Rodgers in the twilight of his career. New York has lost its last two games by one possession to division leaders Minnesota and Buffalo, and ownership believes that despite the team's 2-4 record, the Jets have enough talent to end their 13-year postseason drought.

What does this mean for Vegas?

The Raiders stood their ground on their asking price for Adams after they initially received at least one offer involving another third-round pick, according to league sources.

Las Vegas now has four selections in the first two days of next year's draft, including a first-round pick, a second-rounder, and two thirds. The third-round selection from the Jets reportedly can transform into a second-rounder if Adams becomes a first- or second-team All-Pro this season or if he's on the active roster if the Jets advance to the AFC Championship Game.

The added draft capital can help accelerate Las Vegas' rebuild. One AFC executive told theScore he expects the Raiders to "aggressively" pursue a quarterback this offseason, although the 2025 quarterback class - currently headlined by Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Miami's Cam Ward, and Georgia's Carson Beck - is not as deep as the 2024 group.

First-year general manager Tom Telesco isn't running circles around his peers, but consider it a win for the Raiders after they successfully removed Adams' contract from the books.

Does Adams still have 'it?'

The same could be asked about Rodgers, quite frankly.

Regardless of where either player stands talent-wise at this point in their respective careers, Rodgers, who turns 41 in December, and Adams, 32 in December, boast a chemistry that can't be replicated. Sure, it'll be difficult to implement a new WR1 into a struggling offense six games into the season, but Adams immediately elevates the group's ceiling.

A large part of the duo's success in Green Bay stems from their trust in each other. Adams, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, is also one of Rodgers' closest friends away from the field. Rodgers and Adams mastered the back-shoulder fade route, a concept that Rodgers hopes to add to the repertoire in New York.

In the team's first game under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich and new offensive play-caller Todd Downing, the Jets produced a season-high 393 total yards against Buffalo but only scored one touchdown in four trips to the red zone. This is where Adams should be able to provide immediate assistance.

What about New York's other WRs?

Toward the end of the fourth quarter of Monday's loss to Buffalo, Rodgers was intercepted on a throw intended for veteran Mike Williams. Rodgers said postgame that Williams did not execute proper leverage and spacing on his route, which forced Rodgers to adjust his throw at the last moment. Williams slipped trying to adjust to the underthrown ball, which was picked off.

"It's two vertical (routes)," Rodgers said. "Allen (Lazard) is down the seam and Mike's down the red line. I'm looking at Allen, he puts his hand up and three guys go with him. So I'm throwing a no-look to the red line. And when I peek my eyes back there, (Williams) is running an in-breaker. ... He's got to be on the red line."

By Tuesday afternoon, Adams was a Jet and Williams reportedly was placed on the trade market.

With Adams in tow, Rodgers will hope to rid himself of the headaches that have stemmed from his lack of overall chemistry with his pass-catchers beyond Lazard, another former Packers teammate. Lazard ranks first on the team with five receiving touchdowns. Garrett Wilson leads the Jets with 399 receiving yards on 41 catches with three touchdowns. The third-year Wilson is ascending, but his usage could take a slight hit with Adams on the roster. Williams, an offseason veteran free-agent addition, has just 10 catches for 145 yards.

Ultimately, this power move - along with the others that Johnson and general manager Joe Douglas have recently executed - will be judged on whether the Jets reach the postseason.

"(Adams is) a proven star player, he's an asset, he's an incredible locker-room presence," Rodgers said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "I think it's really going to help Garrett out. When you're able to be around a guy who has done it at a high level for a long time and see how he goes about his process ... there's going to be a lot of things he'll be able to pick up.

"It's definitely adding a lot to our team ... this move lets everybody know, 'Hey, it's on us now because we're going all-in. It's our time to go out there, win games, and go on a run,' which we all feel deep down is going to happen."

Buffalo responds

The Bills added Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick from Cleveland in exchange for a 2025 third-round selection and a 2026 sixth-rounder.

This marks the third time Cooper has been traded in his 10-year NFL career. He was dealt from Las Vegas to Dallas in 2018 and the Cowboys later traded him to the Browns in 2022. Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowler, has 691 catches for 9,736 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns.

The Bills are hopeful the veteran can step into a prominent role within Buffalo's offense after it parted with top wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this past offseason.

Through six games, quarterback Josh Allen has completed 62.8% of his passes for 1,160 yards and 10 touchdowns. Impressively, the usually turnover-prone Allen has no interceptions. None of Allen's pass-catchers have eclipsed the 300-yard mark: Khalil Shakir leads the group with 20 catches for 249 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while tight end Dalton Kincaid has 21 catches for 217 yards and one score. Rookie Keon Coleman has 12 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

Cooper recorded a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023, but the Deshaun Watson-led offense has struggled immensely this season. The Browns (1-5) are the only team that has failed to eclipse 20 points in any of its first six games.

With Cooper, 30, in the final season of the five-year, $100-million deal he signed with the Cowboys, he's certainly looking to elevate his market ahead of the offseason.

What does this mean for Cleveland?

On Cleveland's end, trading the team's best wide receiver is a puzzling move, especially given the franchise's stubbornness in playing Watson despite his historic struggles. The Browns also will now tack approximately $22.5 million in dead money on next year's cap as a result of the deal, according to Over The Cap. Additionally, Cleveland still has more than $170 million in fully guaranteed cap money committed to Watson.

Could this be the first of many dominoes to fall if the team finally decides to find a way to move on from the biggest failed investment in NFL history?

It's a steep price considering all the assets and salary - three first-rounders and the $230-million contract - Cleveland gave up to acquire Watson in 2022.

But the third-round pick acquired from Buffalo is at least a step in the right direction. The team restructured Cooper's deal by adding void years this offseason when they also guaranteed his 2024 salary and added incentives. At the time, general manager Andrew Barry must've been attempting to make Cooper an attractive trade candidate if things went sour this season.

Internally, the Browns are still holding hope that Watson will magically turn things around. But if Barry was anticipating this outcome for Cooper, then he and the Browns would be wise to continue their attempt to save the franchise from an epic nosedive.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated Sunday following the team's loss to Philadelphia that Watson will remain the starter. And now he's without his top target. The Cooper-less Browns host a pair of division foes, Cincinnati and Baltimore, over the next two weeks.

Josh Tolentino is theScore's lead NFL writer.