Davante Adams trade request: The latest on the Jets, Saints and Steelers’ interest in the WR

Written by Tashan Reid, Vic Tavor and Diana Rossini

HENDERSON, Nev. – The Las Vegas Raiders are in talks with several teams about a potential trade for receiver Davante Adams. The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams still interested in acquiring Adams after reaching out to the Raiders, while the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are monitoring the situation, according to league sources.

The Dallas Cowboys also approached the six-time Pro Bowler, but passed, according to league sources, because they did not want to take the remainder of his base salary this season, which is about $12.5 million. Adams sparked rumors about the Baltimore Ravens’ involvement last week when he posted Portrait of poet Edgar Allan Poewho is best known for his poem “The Raven” on Instagram, but it is not known if they actively follow his services. The same goes for Washington’s leaders.

When it comes to the Raiders’ asking price for Adams, they have remained adamant about wanting a second-round pick and additional compensation. While Adams requested a trade on September 30, they are fine with waiting for a trade if they are not satisfied with any offers they receive.

The Raiders were reluctant to offer to pay Adams’ base salary through a signing bonus to complete the deal. It’s a strange decision considering they have a lot of flexibility in setting the salary cap. According to Over the Cap, the Raiders currently have over $26.9 million in cap space. In 2025, they are currently projected to have over $79.7 million in cap space.

It is important to note that cash is different from maximum space. The Raiders will need a lump sum of cash to pay Adams’ salary. This may have been an issue for owner Mark Davis in the past, but the Raiders’ business has improved dramatically since moving from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020. It appears the Raiders are having to use their resources to sacrifice money to get a stronger power. Back to Adams, but they were not willing to do so.

This complicates matters because of the aforementioned teams that may still be in contention for Adams’ position, only the Commanders and Jets currently have enough cap space to accommodate his contract as structured. The Steelers, Ravens and Saints would either need the Raiders to pay Adams’ salary or create significant cap space through other means to make a trade possible.

The Jets have been pegged as the favorite to land Adams. Both Adams and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers have publicly stated that they would like to reunite one day after enjoying eight years of success with the Green Bay Packers. Despite firing coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday after a 2-3 start, the Jets have continued talks with the Raiders about making it happen, according to league sources.

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The Saints also have a connection to Adams in the form of quarterback Derek Carr, who played with Adams at Fresno State and reconnected with the Raiders in 2022. Carr suffered an oblique injury in the Saints’ loss to the Chiefs on Monday. It is unknown how seriously Carr’s injury is and whether or not he will miss time, but the Saints have also continued trade discussions with the Raiders.

Although it cannot be completely ruled out, it is unlikely that Adams and the Raiders will reconcile. Although Adams was one of coach Antonio Pierce’s most vocal supporters during Pierce’s tenure as interim coach last season, it is clear that the relationship between the two has deteriorated.

When asked Monday what went wrong with Adams, Pierce said: “You’d have to ask Davante that.”

It turns out Pierce was surprised when Adams called a meeting with the coach last Monday morning, according to league sources. Adams has told Pierce he wants to be traded to a better team, Fox Sports first reported. The Raiders told Adams they would grant his wish because they didn’t want players who didn’t want to be there, and talks continued with several teams Tuesday.

The Raiders were coming off a win over the Browns on Sept. 29, and at some point that day, Pierce reportedly liked an Instagram post insinuating that Adams would be traded.

The next day, Adams appeared weekly on Up and Adams and told only half the story when host Kay Adams asked him about Piers’ Instagram crush.

“I haven’t heard from (Pierce). I haven’t talked to him,” the receiver said. “I don’t really know what that was about. Obviously social media is a beast, so there are a lot of people who have seen it and are wondering what’s going on and people are connecting with it.

Adams’ appearance on the show aired before his trade request was known, and he canceled his Tuesday appearance on the show. Adams has yet to speak publicly since his trade request.

The Raiders are expected to move Adams at some point. He has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury suffered in practice on Sept. 26, but could be medically cleared as soon as this week. The Raiders would have to write him another play-in check for $939,000 if he’s still on the roster Wednesday.

The trade deadline isn’t until November 5 — and the Raiders can theoretically hold things off until then if they wish — but he likely won’t suit up again until an agreement is reached.

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(Photo: Harry Howe/Getty Images)