Davante Adams is on the trade block.
There have been multiple media reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are looking to trade the three-time All-Pro, in addition to a report that Adams wants out. Add to that head coach Antonio Pierce’s social media activity almost approving a trade, and Adams’ departure from Las Vegas seems inevitable.
It seems like it’s just a matter of working out the details; the most important of which is finding a trading partner.
Adams, 31, is on the final slope of his career. But he was a first-team All-Pro two seasons ago and racked up 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns last season while catching passes from Aidan O’Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer.
There is still plenty left in the tank to make Adams a coveted target for a contender or a team with a strong young quarterback looking to improve his passing game. There are several teams at the start of the NFL season that fit that bill.
Jets from New York
This jumps off the page. Adams developed into one of the NFL’s top receivers in eight seasons catching passes from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Rodgers is now the quarterback of a Jets team that has failed to live up to expectations of an offensive breakout through four games.
The Jets entered the season with Super Bowl hopes, but are 2-2 and coming off one of the worst losses of the NFL season: a 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos. The Jets scored three field goals and failed to find the end zone in Sunday’s loss. Alarms blaring. This offense needs some momentum.
Third-year pro Garrett Wilson is a standout, but has been limited to 191 yards and one touchdown in four games so far in a stagnant offense. Allen Lazard, who played with Rodgers in Green Bay, is New York’s leading receiver with 206 yards. Who better to add some jolt to the Jets’ offense than Rodgers’ all-time favorite target?
Dallas Cowboys
Find another team that has made waves early in the season despite huge odds. The Cowboys are 2-2 with an ugly loss to the New Orleans Saints and an uninspiring win over the New York Giants.
Jerry Jones is already raising his hand to take the blame, and we haven’t even gotten to the crushing early exit portion of the playoff calendar yet. All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb is coming off training camp and off to a slow start after setting the league on fire last season. His arrow is pointing up after a big play in last week’s win over the Giants.
But a Cowboys offense that scored just 20 points against New York doesn’t ease the concerns. And there is no true No. 2 option on the wide receiver depth chart. Adding Adams would provide a bona fide threat opposite Lamb and allow Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert to fall into more appropriate supporting roles. It would also give Jones some cover for his promise to go ‘all in’.
Buffalo Bills
Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens noted that this isn’t a team like the above that isn’t living up to expectations. For three weeks, the Bills looked like the best team in the NFL with an explosive offense that put quarterback Josh Allen at the top of the MVP conversation.
They lost big on the road on Sunday against a desperate contender. This happens in the NFL. We are not selling our Bills stock. But we recognize they could use a boost on offense, especially at wide receiver.
Following the offseason trade of Stefon Diggs, third-year wideout Khalil Shakir sits atop the Bills’ depth chart. He has had a great season in four games. But as a fifth-round draft pick with a career-high 611 receiving yards last season, he doesn’t fit the profile of a top target for a championship contender. Keon Coleman maybe someday, but that’s a lot to ask of a second-round rookie.
Among Super Bowl hopefuls, the Bills entered the season with the most glaring hole at wide receiver. Adams would fill it in nicely and immediately highlight the profile of an already dangerous Buffalo offense.
Baltimore Ravens
Speaking of the Ravens. They are still looking for the first Pro Bowl receiver of the Lamar Jackson era. In fact, they’re still searching for the first Pro Bowl receiver in franchise history.
That’s just how good Jackson is. He has made three Pro Bowls and won two league MVPs without the benefit of a top-level receiver. It’s not for lack of trying.
The Ravens have spent three first-round draft picks on receivers since 2019, selecting Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers. Brown is no longer with the team. Bateman (144 yards in four games) and Flowers (158 yards in four games) appear nowhere near their Pro Bowl turn.
The Ravens are perennial contenders, but have yet to advance to the Super Bowl during the Jackson era. Let’s see what Jackson can do with a top receiver at his disposal.
Washington commanders
Here’s a team that didn’t start the season with playoff expectations, let alone Super Bowl hopes. While the latter remains far-fetched – at least for now – rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels emphatically changes the narrative.
Thanks to some breathtaking throws and stats to match, Daniels rightly appears to be the long-sought answer at Washington quarterback after decades of Dan Snyder-inspired swings and misses. This guy is the real deal, and the Commanders are off to a 3-1 start to show for it.
Terry McLaurin is on the cusp of a big turn playing with Daniels, but there is little significant experience behind him on Washington’s depth chart. What neutral observer wouldn’t want to see what Daniels can do – and how far he can take the Commanders – with a bona fide All-Pro by his side?
Pittsburgh Steelers
Thanks in large part to countless quarterback questions, the Steelers also entered the season with mediocre expectations. An injury to Russell Wilson and a 3-0 start behind Justin Fields and a shutdown defense have offered hope in Pittsburgh.
A loss Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts dampened the early-season excitement. But a 3-1 start is much better than most in Pittsburgh had hoped. Now is the time to take action.
Like the rest of the teams on this list, Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room is lacking. George Pickens (20 catches, 284 yards) is the unquestioned No. 1 option with no No. 2 in sight. No other Pittsburgh wide receiver has recorded double-digit receptions through the first four games of the season.
Adams would provide a dramatic upgrade to a Steelers team looking to capitalize on a surprisingly strong start to the season.
Dark horse: Kansas City Chiefs
After an injury to Rashee Rice, the Chiefs are the team on this list with the most glaring need at wide receiver. They are also the least likely to reach a deal.
There’s no way the Raiders are considering helping their hated AFC West rivals and winners of three of the past five Super Bowls, right? Every team but the Chiefs seems like the most desirable option in Las Vegas.
The Raiders are reportedly looking for a second-round draft pick to headline a package to part ways with Adams. Would a Chiefs team be looking to inflate three-peat wages to the point where the Raiders couldn’t say no?
If Rice’s injury means the end of the season, they are desperate. Without Rice, rookie Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson would be at the top of the depth chart. And that doesn’t sound like the makeup of a Super Bowl winner, even if Patrick Mahomes throws the ball.
