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ESPN
Oct 2, 2024, 10:29 AM ET
Two NFL teams high on Davante Adams‘ wish list of places to land if he’s traded — if not at the very top — are the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Adams, 31, ideally would like to play with a quarterback he knows, sources told Schefter. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers, Adams’ former teammate with the Green Bay Packers. The Saints have Derek Carr, Adams’ former teammate at Fresno State and with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders have informed other teams they would “consider” trading Adams for a package that would include a second-round draft pick and additional compensation, league sources told Schefter on Tuesday.
There also are other teams that remain interested in trading for Adams. Despite any speculation, the Kansas City Chiefs are not expected to be an option, sources told Schefter on Wednesday.
Adams was acquired by the Raiders in a blockbuster trade with the Packers for first- and second-round draft picks March 17, 2022. Adams agreed to the Raiders trade partly to reunite with Carr but ended up playing only one year with him in Las Vegas as Carr was released by the Raiders after the 2022 season.
Adams played the first eight seasons of his NFL career with Rodgers in Green Bay, during which time he was selected to five Pro Bowls and was a two-time first-team All-Pro. He also was selected to the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro in his only season with Carr in Las Vegas.
Since being traded to the Jets in 2023, Rodgers has talked glowingly of Adams. The most telling comment came in July at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, when he told a reporter, “I love Davante Adams. I can’t wait to play with him … again.”
Rodgers has compared Garrett Wilson to Adams, but Wilson is off to a slow start — 20 receptions, 191 yards and 1 touchdown. The Rodgers-Wilson chemistry is a work in progress; they’ve had a few miscommunications during games.
Jets coach Robert Saleh acknowledged Wednesday that Wilson and Rodgers still haven’t clicked yet, but added, “I’m still not worried about it. They’ll get on the same page. Obviously, there are different coverages that are being run, but they’ll find a way to sync up.”
The Jets also have Allen Lazard and Mike Williams at receiver, each of whom is making $10 million this season. The Jets took a one-year flier on Williams, 30, banking on his ability to rebound from ACL surgery. He has progressed each week, and he’s coming off his best game — four catches for 67 yards.
On Wednesday, Saleh wouldn’t address the Adams rumors directly, except to say the Jets are always looking to upgrade the roster. He said he’s happy with the team’s current wide receivers.
Lazard, like Rodgers a former Packers teammate of Adams, said Wednesday, “I love Davante. He was one of my favorite teammates and one of my biggest mentors. I’m so grateful to be able to share a field with him during the time that we spent in Green Bay together, doing the things we did.”
The Jets have the draft assets to make a trade. They still have their 2025 second-round pick, plus two picks in the third round, one of which they obtained from the Detroit Lions in a pick swap during the 2024 draft.
They also have disgruntled pass rusher Haason Reddick, who is holding out and has requested a trade. The Jets have said they won’t trade him, but they could have a change of heart if presented with an opportunity to rid themselves of the headache.
“In my opinion, why wouldn’t you want to better the team? He would definitely make us better, in my opinion, I think. So I see it as a positive,” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed told ESPN on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Adams appeared on the “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams” and was asked about Raiders coach Antonio Pierce’s verified Instagram account liking a post from Sports Illustrated wondering whether Adams had played his final game with Las Vegas. The like was later removed.
“I haven’t heard from him. I haven’t talked to him,” Davante Adams said when asked if he has heard from Pierce. “… Social media is a beast, so it’s a lot of people out there that saw it and wondering what’s going on and reaching out.”
Told by Kay Adams that a lot of people think he has played his last down with the Raiders, Davante Adams said, “All I can control is this talk we’re having right here and after we’re done with this, all I can control is the next thing that I’m on to.”
Pierce was asked by reporters Wednesday about his involvement with the Instagram activity, but he sidestepped the question, answering instead, “Yeah, I’m just focused on Denver,” referring to the Raiders’ Week 5 opponent.
Adams’ salary for this season is $17.5 million, with $13.5 million still owed through the end of the season. And while he is under contract for 2025 and 2026, his annual salary jumps to $36.25 million for each of those seasons.
With such a hefty price tag, a trade partner would likely have to get Adams to agree to a restructured contract.
The Jets currently have $15,350,706 in salary cap space and the Saints have $3,265,633, according to NFLPA records.
Adams missed his first game as a member of the Raiders on Sunday with a hamstring injury suffered in practice Thursday. It marked the first regular-season game Adams had missed since 2021, with the Packers. The injury is expected to sideline Adams on a week-to-week basis, league sources told Schefter over the weekend.
Adams has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown through three games this season. He has 890 receptions for 10,990 yards and 96 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons.
ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Rich Cimini and Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.
