Based on reports across the league, a Davante Adams trade is more a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.’ Originally joining the Las Vegas Raiders before the 2022 season, Adams and head coach Josh McDaniels were supposed to be the missing pieces for a team that made it to the playoffs in 2022. Instead, the team crashed and burned under their former head coach, as McDaniels cut Derek Carr and inadvertently drove this team to another rebuild. Now 31 years old, Adams understandably wants to spend his final years in the league competing for a championship.
As of this posting, the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Kansas City Chiefs appear to be the three frontrunners for his services. The Raiders reportedly want at least a second-round pick, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter implied the Jets could take a unique approach to acquiring the wide receiver. Early Sunday morning, the NFL insider tweeted out that the Jets have two third-round picks and former Charger Mike Williams, a player current Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco drafted and extended during his time with Los Angeles.
Former Charger Mike Williams Could Interrupt Davante Adams Trade Package
The Raiders won’t trade Davante Adams for Mike Williams straight up, but he could be an interesting throw-in to a potential package. Even though it appears the team will trade Adams, the Raiders enter Week 5 with a 2-2 record and are very much alive in the playoff hunt. While the duo of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell are not good enough to win a Super Bowl, first-year head coach Antonio Pierce will try to compete for as long as possible. The Raiders face a beatable Denver Broncos team in Week 5 and if they jump to 3-2, could look for some short-term help to keep their season alive.
Tom Telesco knows what Mike Williams brings to the table, and he could be willing to trade Davante Adams to the Jets for the wide receiver and a third-round pick. Of course, this assumes that the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints don’t make a better offer, as both teams could use another set of hands to complement their talented rosters.
Chiefs, Saints In Bidding War
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the New Orleans Saints have been the “most aggressive” team in pursuing a Davante Adams trade. This makes sense, as General Manager Mickey Loomis has never shied away from making aggressive moves for his win-now roster. Derek Carr is playing some of the best football of his career, and the 2-2 Saints are a few unlucky bounces away from being 4-0.
Now playing in a relatively weak NFC South and looking for their first playoff appearance since the Drew Brees days, New Orleans should go all in and land one of the best receivers of his generation. Pairing Adams with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed should give Carr enough weapons to overcome his depleted offensive line, as someone will be open before the pass rush can reach the quarterback.
Different reports indicate that the Chiefs are monitoring the wide receiver trade market. With Rashee Rice’s future uncertain, Kansas City needs a playmaker capable of consistently earning targets from Patrick Mahomes. Travis Kelce is slowing down (although he looked better in Week 4) while first-round pick Xavier Worthy isn’t quite ready for a featured role in the passing attack. Adams has what it takes to be a target hog in this offense, but would the Raiders ever trade Adams to their most hated division rival? Chances are, if the Chiefs are going to get a wide receiver, they’ll have to settle for someone like Amari Cooper.
Main Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie -USA Today Sports
