When a formal trade request reaches the stage Davante Adams’s did Tuesday—where the request is made known through the player or some surrogate of the player, and the team, through some surrogate, makes its compensatory demands public—one can be sure the deal is happening.
While Brandon Aiyuk’s negotiation always had the feel of an acrobatic, high-wire staredown that would result in Aiyuk staying with the San Francisco 49ers on a long-term deal, Adams’s request to leave Las Vegas, and Vegas’s reported desired compensation of a second-round-pick-plus (according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter) has a “best and final offer” feel to it.
We can argue about whether the Raiders should have done this deal sooner. Obviously, Adams’s value was near its peak before the draft, but there was a solid, high-end wide receiver class on tap. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze all went in the top 10. Now, we are four games into the NFL season and Adams has successfully established himself once again as a game-changing talent who has not lost a step. And, there are a few teams that have already sunk into some rather desperate territory or sustained critical injuries at the position, enough to absolutely meet the Raiders’ demands.
Think about it: Making these demands public the week after the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs lost Rashee Rice, the New York Jets dropped to 2–2 and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their first game of the season is absolutely brilliant. Even if none of these teams are truly “in on it,” the perception that they are exists and will undoubtedly feed demand and hike up the bargaining price.
So, with all of that said, let’s get into some sensible fits for Adams and which teams may be players for the 31-year-old, six-time Pro Bowler who, despite not having any guaranteed money left on his contract, has two years and a little more than $70 million remaining on his deal.
My guess is that you’ll say there are a lot of teams on this list. My response is that Adams is an excellent player with a second-round pick as the starting price for negotiations. This is a rare opportunity to significantly upgrade a roster in the middle of a season.
NEW YORK GIANTS/ARIZONA CARDINALS/CHICAGO BEARS
I grouped these teams together, in part, because I am going to make a similar point. If you’re the Giants, Cardinals or Bears, your quarterback situation is either “fixed” from a financial standpoint—meaning, you know what you are going to pay Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams for the next two seasons and you are reasonably sure those are going to be the players—or it’s going to improve. The Giants, it’s no secret, are either going to continue scraping by with Daniel Jones (another financially “fixed” situation) or they are going to draft a rookie quarterback.
In each of these three situations, you are acquiring Adams because he improves several situations at once and he is more than simply an immediate upgrade for a playoff-aspiring team. It’s important to note that, based on some reporting I’ve done, Adams is one of the most legendary players in modern football in terms of his preparation and approach at the line of scrimmage. So, I am placing a heavy weight on the “mentor” card here.
Let’s break it down individually:
• Giants: Adams would be there for 2025 to potentially help out a rookie quarterback while simultaneously mentoring Nabers. Obviously, Adams could help the Giants navigate the ’24 season and get them back into the mix. Sensing that the division is still very much up for grabs and noting Jones’s improved play over the past two weeks, the Giants could surrender a small handful of non-first-round picks for the right to get themselves into the conversation for this year and better suited beyond. The Giants do have a ’24 second-round pick.
• Cardinals: Harrison is going to be the offense’s most important asset over the next decade. One could easily imagine him outlasting Murray in Arizona and so taking care of him in the moment is paramount. Adams can be a mentor, yes, and he can also help Harrison build confidence. While being double- and triple-teamed forces a player to grow, Harrison has one of the lowest average separation rates in the NFL, according to NextGenStats. That means he’s being double- and triple-teamed quite a bit. It’s time to get him some breathing room and take a step toward getting Arizona into the NFC West race.
• Bears: Adams can serve as an aide for Odunze, though Keenan Allen is a great veteran presence. And, he can really help slow the game down for Williams. Imagine having such a glut at the position that your four receivers on a given down could be Odunze, Allen, DJ Moore and Adams. The Bears have yet to run a play out of 10- or 01-personnel (one running back, four wide receivers; or one tight end, four wide receivers) according to SumerSports’s personnel tracker, and only six teams have run either formation so far this year (none with a positive EPA per play). But it does keep your rotation fresh and give Williams the rangiest playmaker in the NFL save for Justin Jefferson.
NEW YORK JETS
All right, now let’s discuss the obvious. The Jets have a second-round pick in 2025 and two third-round picks (an additional pick from the Lions). Aaron Rodgers is intimately familiar with Adams and has said that he “cannot wait to play” with Adams again. While Rodgers says many, many things—he also explained away this comment as an attempt to get rid of a reporter he was tired of speaking with—he also wants his time in Florham Park to be successful. He also, I assume, would like to work with someone who doesn’t need to be brought up to speed on Rodgers-ese, the unique language and series of mannerisms that the quarterback employs at the line of scrimmage.
Also, let’s get down to the main point: If the Jets lose this season, the entire operation is getting Wile E. Coyote’d. They are 2–2, with wins coming against the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots. The team looked overmatched against the 49ers and, had the Titans not been playing Will Levis, could have lost in Tennessee. There is an absolute, naked desperation here and a quarterback who needs to be pacified to keep the peace. Having Adams is a benefit for young star receiver Garrett Wilson and, in this scenario, the Jets avoid having to forever explain why they chose not to go all in.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
The Commanders are 3–1, and Jayden Daniels is emerging as the most exciting young player in the NFL. They are also getting more out of their 11-personnel lineup—three wideouts, one running back and one tight end—than any team in the NFL except for the Buffalo Bills. So, we consider this a reward for Daniels, a bone for a starving fan base bordering on delirium and a treat for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. While Kingsbury has abandoned a lot of his true Air Raid roots, having Adams, Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown is pretty explosive and allows the Commanders to evolve before teams can get a bead on what is making Daniels so successful schematically.
Zach Ertz and Olamide Zaccheaus are good players but Daniels should have an upgrade for his second-most targeted player.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
The Steelers were heavily involved in discussions for Aiyuk this preseason, are sitting at 3–1 and, behind George Pickens, are thin at the position. Justin Fields is developing as a passer under new coordinator Arthur Smith and, perhaps sensing the instability in the AFC North, Pittsburgh could hear Adams’s siren song and make a deal.
The Steelers are currently majoring in 12- and 13-personnel sets this year, which means a heavy dependence on tight end-centric offenses (in part to protect Fields and add an extra layer of blocking security). They are getting less out of their three-wide receiver sets than most other teams in the NFL. Adams would immediately upgrade Pittsburgh’s lineup and give Smith more options as a play-caller. Like we mentioned in regard to Daniels, it would also be seen as a vote of confidence for Fields and a bit of a pacifier for a fan base that has enjoyed an utter glut of talent at the position for the past two decades yet also endured some lean offensive years of late.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Because the Patriots were involved in the Aiyuk discussions, they deserve to be mentioned here, but I don’t love the fit. Aiyuk was a long-term play. He’s far younger than Adams and could grow with Drake Maye whenever the former No. 3 pick assumes the starting quarterback job. Adams, on the other hand, would only be rounding out his prime with Maye and putting himself into a personnel situation not unlike the one he is desperately trying to escape in Las Vegas.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
I’m putting the Chiefs here because the team lost Rice on Sunday. I’m not going to spend a great deal of time on the fit because it would be downright foolish for the Raiders to trade Adams within the division. Adams is one of the best players in football and pairing him with Patrick Mahomes would be a Tom Brady–Randy Moss death wish for opponents at a time when Antonio Pierce is beginning to show a knack for the position. Any and all Missouri area codes should be blocked by the facility’s incoming call operator.
BUFFALO BILLS/MINNESOTA VIKINGS
I am putting these teams together on the list for a very specific reason: If you had the sense that one of your top opponents might do it, would you up the ante to keep Adams away? Adams is that kind of game-altering talent. Buffalo could note the obvious Jets connection, they have a young receiver in Keon Coleman who could use some mentoring and, after the loss of Stefon Diggs, have the ability to move in another surefire No. 1 wide receiver. Perhaps the organization, learning from the Josh Allen–Diggs pairing, could approach their next imported receiver differently.
The Vikings, similarly, cannot afford to see Adams go anywhere else in the division or the conference for that matter. Based on what I have heard about his final days in Green Bay, I don’t see a return as likely. This isn’t a *report* but it’s just my read on the situation. Every team in this division is on an upward trajectory, every team is going to be competing for a razor’s edge of an advantage and, like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan battled over Christian McCaffrey a few years ago, we could see a similar intra-divisional frenzy to ensure that someone else doesn’t get to coach one of the best pure receivers in the NFL. Plus, how cool would an 11-personnel lineup of Adams, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison look? Minnesota does not have a second-round pick and its draft capital is somewhat limited. Though, the Vikings’ pick in 2025 is expected to be a late first-round pick, which could trump the value of second-round picks coming across their desk.
It would be sensible to imagine the Raiders want to deal Adams out of the conference. And, following that logic, it would be sensible to view the Vikings’ dream season as threatened by one of the best teams in the NFC pocketing the All-Pro receiver.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS/ATLANTA FALCONS
The Falcons, like a kid that has been gifted too many toys, should not be allowed to collect another jewel of a playmaker until they prove they can take care of the ones they already have. That said, the Saints are in a unique position with a promising young offensive coordinator, a quarterback who has played with, and is liked by, Adams and a team that is desperate to lift itself out of the mud pit that is the NFC South. Adams and Carr have roots in the Shanahan system, with Adams having played his latter years in Green Bay for Matt LaFleur and Carr now running an offense with similar roots under Klint Kubiak.
And, if the Saints are thinking that way, shouldn’t Atlanta—which could utilize Adams as we mentioned before—have Adams in a mentoring role for Drake London and as insurance for the developing Michael Penix Jr. as well as an immediate weapon for Kirk Cousins?
Darnell Mooney is currently running behind London as the Falcons’ most targeted wide receiver and Atlanta lives in 11-personnel, running 82.2% of its plays out of the one-tight end, three-receiver formation. The Falcons are also passing out of their most popularly utilized formation nearly 63% of the time. Doesn’t it make sense to plug and play Adams while keeping him away from Carr?
LOS ANGELES RAMS/SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Perpetual dark horses when it comes to elite talent on the market, we cannot discount two of the most selectively aggressive teams in the NFL and two coaches in the league whom most players would want to play for. McVay has a talented young stable of wide receivers and two of the NFL’s better wideouts at the top of his depth chart in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. However, the West Coast offense offers opportunities beyond football that may have attracted Adams in the first place, not to mention the chance to play in a system that could reimagine Adams’s role and pair him with one of two quarterbacks who can effectively get him the ball. Clearly, Shanahan was eyeing some kind of diversification at the wide receiver position having drafted the position in the first round of this year’s draft. Ricky Pearsall may not see the field any time soon and if McCaffrey’s Achilles tendinitis keeps him off the field for an extended period of time, Adams could be a fascinating addition for Shanahan and a way to evolve his offense.
Shanahan is a receiver junkie who no doubt has a love for one of the greatest to ever play the position.
McVay, who has perpetually teetered on retirement and is watching the remnants of his 2021 Super Bowl team wither, could view this as jet fuel and a survival gambit until Kupp and Nacua return. He also has some solid information on Adams via Rams backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who teamed up with Adams in Vegas.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as An Exhaustive List of Possible Davante Adams Trade Destinations.
