Top Davante Adams NFL Trade Packages After Raiders WR Requests Move

Top Davante Adams NFL Trade Packages After Raiders WR Requests Move
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1New Orleans Saints
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2Dallas Cowboys
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3New York Jets
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4Pittsburgh Steelers
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5San Francisco 49ers
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Top Davante Adams NFL Trade Packages After Raiders WR Requests Move

Kristopher Knox
Oct 1, 2024

Top Davante Adams NFL Trade Packages After Raiders WR Requests Move

Raiders WR Davante Adams
Raiders WR Davante Adams

The NFL deadline isn't until November 5 this year, but the rumors are already beginning to swirl. A big bit of buzz dropped on Tuesday when Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are considering a Davante Adams trade.

"A league source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the Raiders are growing open to the idea of trading Davante Adams," Bonsignore posted on X. "The source said the club has begun reaching out to teams to gauge interest in the veteran wide receiver."

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Adams has since "informed the team that he preferred to be traded."

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders have informed other teams that they'd be interested in moving Adams for "a package that would include a second-round pick and additional compensation."

Here, we'll examine five logical landing spots for Adams if he is moved, along with the top potential trade packages that might get a deal done.

New Orleans Saints

Saints QB Derek Carr
Saints QB Derek Carr

Saints Get: WR Davante Adams

Raiders Get: Conditional 2025 second-round pick

We're kicking things off with the New Orleans Saints for one big reason. Saints senior personnel advisor Randy Mueller—who was not with the franchise at the time—gave some insight into Adams' true market value back in January.

"If I were looking to fill a need at receiver, I would probably offer them less than people would think," Mueller said on Paul "Boy Green" Esden Jr.'s YouTube show (beginning at the 32-second mark). "I would think it would be a second-round pick that maybe could go to a first if he meets some thresholds along the way."

That might feel low, considering Adams fetched first- and second-round picks when he was dealt to Las Vegas. However, Adams will turn 32 in December and will see a ballooning contract in 2025—when his base salary will jump from $16.9 million to $35.6 million.

Teams that pursue Adams will likely view him as a rest-of-the-season rental—his contract has only $15.7 million in dead money after this season—or a player who will require a revised contract.

An immediate restructure would be necessary for New Orleans, which has just $4.6 million in cap space available.

The Saints have a strong receiver tandem in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but they could be interested in Adams. Acquiring him would reunite the Fresno State product with quarterback Derek Carr (again) while adding another difference-maker for Klint Kubiak's offense.

For New Orleans, a conditional second-round pick that can become a first-round pick based on statistical and postseason results—the Saints haven't won a playoff game since 2020—would make for a sensible offer.

Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy

Cowboys Get: WR Davante Adams

Raiders Get: Conditional 2025 second-round pick, QB Trey Lance

If the Dallas Cowboys aren't desperate to improve their roster, they should be. Dallas' defense hasn't been as good under Mike Zimmer as it was under Dan Quinn, and it is dealing with injuries to both DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons.

Dallas may have to win with its offense for the foreseeable future. That may be a problem because the team lacks reliable receiver depth behind CeeDee Lamb and has one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL.

Trading for Adams would give Dak Prescott a top-tier perimeter receiver opposite Lamb and would reunite Adams with head coach Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy, who is entering the final year of his contract, should be pounding the table for Adams, if only for the impact it might have on his job security. He was the Green Bay Packers head coach during Adams' first five seasons, and his offense helped the receiver blossom into a star.

In this hypothetical scenario, the threshold for flipping a conditional second-round pick into a first might be high. Dallas has shown that it can get to the playoffs. Winning multiple postseason games is now the goal—making an appearance in the NFC title game a sensible condition for the first-round pivot.

To sweeten the deal, Dallas could include third-string quarterback Trey Lance.

The Raiders are still searching for their next quarterback of the future. While Lance's tenure in the NFL suggests that he wouldn't be the answer, Las Vegas could at least get him into the building and kick the tires on the 2021 first-round pick before he enters 2025 free agency.

New York Jets

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

Jets Get: WR Davante Adams

Raiders Get: Edge Haason Reddick, conditional 2025 third-round pick

The New York Jets are probably the most obvious landing spot because of Adams' history with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

When asked if he missed Rodgers, Adams told Kay Adams of Up and Adams, "How could you not?"

In this scenario, the Jets find a creative solution by including pass-rusher Haason Reddick in a deal with Las Vegas. Reddick, who was acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, is seeking a new contract and has not reported to his new team since taking his initial physical.

While the Raiders would be trading one tricky contract situation for another, this deal could make plenty of sense. Reddick, who has logged double-digit sacks in each of the past four seasons, is a top-tier player and roughly two years younger than Adams.

Reddick could also help boost Las Vegas' pass rush as star defender Maxx Crosby continues to deal with a high ankle sprain. Once Crosby is back to 100 percent, he and Reddick would form arguably the top pass-rushing duo in the conference.

With Reddick included in the deal, the draft compensation might drop to a conditional third-round pick that can become a second-rounder if the Jets make the postseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers QB Justin Fields
Steelers QB Justin Fields

Steelers Get: WR Davante Adams

Raiders Get: Conditional 2025 second-round pick, WR Van Jefferson

The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to acquire wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers toward the end of the offseason. They didn't get a deal done, and the Steelers decided to move forward with the pass-catchers they had in-house.

"I'm comfortable with the performance of these guys," head coach Mike Tomlin said before the start of the season, per Dale Lolley of the team's official website.

The Steelers shouldn't be comfortable with the performance of receivers not named George Pickens or Calvin Austin III. Van Jefferson ranks third among Pittsburgh wideouts with a mere 36 receiving yards on five receptions.

With the league's second-ranked scoring defense and a functional starting quarterback in Justin Fields, Pittsburgh might just be a title contender with a playmaker like Adams joining the fold.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported in August that the Steelers were willing to offer Aiyuk an extension worth under $28 million annually. Pittsburgh might not want Adams at his 2025 and 2026 price points, but it would probably offer him fair compensation on a revised deal.

The Steelers could offer the baseline conditional second-round pick while sending Jefferson—a player who just isn't making an impact in Pittsburgh—to Las Vegas to help replenish the Raiders' receiver depth.

San Francisco 49ers

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Get: WR Davante Adams

Raiders Get: WR Brandon Aiyuk

The 49ers ended up signing Aiyuk to an extension worth $30 million annually after they failed to orchestrate a trade. San Francisco's desire, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, was to get another receiver in return for Aiyuk.

Given Aiyuk's struggles during the early season—he has 13 catches for 167 yards—the 49ers may already regret paying him. In this hypothetical scenario, they flip Aiyuk for Adams, who might give San Francisco a better chance of winning now.

While this hypothetical trade wouldn't net Las Vegas draft compensation, it would give the Raiders a 26-year-old receiver who is under contract long-term and who has flashed elite traits in the past.

The Raiders could either view Aiyuk as a long-term piece of the offensive puzzle or possibly make him available during the lead-up to the 2025 draft.

Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported last month that the Raiders "are believed to be receptive to stockpiling picks in anticipation of positioning themselves to draft a quarterback next spring."

Silver also reported that San Francisco approached the Raiders about acquiring Jakobi Meyers but was "rebuffed" by Las Vegas. With Adams now on the table, the 49ers might try to work another angle.

Instead of getting draft capital to put toward a quarterback pursuit, the Raiders would get a receiver whose trade value in the spring will likely be higher than Adams'—if Las Vegas doesn't simply choose to keep him instead.


*Cap and contract information from Spotrac.

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