Davante Adams trade request: latest on Jets, Saints, Steelers interest in WR

By Tashan Reed, Vic Tafur and Diana Russini

Henderson, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders are in talks with several teams about a possible trade for receiver Davante Adams. The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams 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 called up the six-time Pro Bowler, but they passed, according to league sources, because they didn't want to take the remainder of his base salary this season, which is about $12.5 million. Adams stirred up rumors about the Baltimore Ravens last week when he posted Picture of Poet Edgar Allan PoeWho is best known for his poem “The Raven” on Instagram, but it is unknown if they are actively following his services. So did the Washington commanders.

When it comes to the Raiders' asking price for Adams, they are adamant that they want a second-round pick and additional compensation. And while Adams requested a trade on Sept. 30, they're waiting for a deal if they're not satisfied with any offer they receive.

The Raiders were reluctant to offer to pay Adams' base salary with a signing bonus to complete a deal. It's an odd decision given they have plenty of salary-cap flexibility. 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's important to remember that cash is different from cap space. The Raiders will need to have plenty of cash on hand to pay Adams' salary. That may have been a problem for owner Mark Davis in the past, but the Raiders' business has improved dramatically since relocating from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020. It would apparently prefer the Raiders to use their resources to forego cash to make a stronger collection Go back for Adams, but they have expressed no intention of doing so.

That complicates matters because, of the aforementioned teams that could still be in the running for Adams, only the Commanders and Jets currently have enough cap space to structurally absorb his contract. The Steelers, Ravens and Saints would all need the Raiders to either pay Adams' salary or create significant cap space in other ways 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 said they would like to reunite one day after enjoying eight years of success with the Green Bay Packers. And after a 2-3 start despite firing coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, the Jets have continued to talk to 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 him in 2022 with the Raiders. Carr suffered an oblique injury in the Saints' loss to the Chiefs on Monday. The severity of Carr's injury and whether he will miss time is unknown, but the Saints are also continuing trade talks with the Raiders.

While it can't be completely ruled out, the possibility of Adams and the Raiders meeting seems unlikely. Although Adams was one of coach Antonio Pierce's most vocal supporters during Pierce's tenure as interim coach last season, it's clear the relationship between the two has deteriorated.

When asked Monday where things went wrong with Adams, Pierce said, “You'd have to ask Davante.”

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

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

The next day, Adams made her weekly appearance on the show “Up and Adams” and only told half the story when host Kay Adams asked her about Pierce's Instagram likes.

“I haven't heard from (Pierce). I didn't talk to him,” the receiver said. “I don't really know what that was about. Obviously social media is a beast, so there's a lot of people out there seeing it and wondering what's going on and people reaching out.”

Adams' appearance on the show was publicized before his trade demands were known, and he canceled an appearance on this Tuesday's 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 early as this week. The Raiders will have to write him another $939,000 game check if he's still on the roster Wednesday.

The trade deadline isn't until Nov. 5 — and the Raiders could theoretically drag things out until then if they wanted to — but he likely won't suit up again until a deal is struck.

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(Photo: Harry Howe/Getty Images)