Ever since the New York Jets acquired future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers it seemed to be a near certainty that he would eventually be reunited with his all-time favorite target, Davante Adams. Adams, who was traded from Green Bay to the Las Vegas Raiders in March of 2022, was cited as a big reason for Rodgers’ statistical decline in his final year in Green Bay as he clashed with the team’s young receiving corps after posting back-to-back MVP campaigns. Now that Adams has requested a trade, the reunion may finally come to fruition, but does it make sense?
Insider Reports that Davante Adams prefers the Jets
NFL.com Insider, Ian Rapport, has reported that Adams prefers to be traded to the Jets after requesting a trade on Monday, but is open to other destinations as well. Among those other destinations, the usual suspects of contenders such as Baltimore, Buffalo, Dallas, and San Francisco are rumored to be in the mix, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints who employ quarterback Derek Carr, Adams’ college teammate who was a major force behind the original trade to Las Vegas.
It should be noted that Adams doesn’t have the same type of leverage that Rodgers had when the quarterback forced his way to New York. Adams, 31, isn’t in the position to threaten to retire if he doesn’t get his wish nor does he possess a no-trade clause. That said, the five-year $140 million dollar extension he signed in 2022 with Las Vegas may prove to be a stumbling block in negotiations unless Adams agrees to a re-worked deal to facilitate a trade, something he’d likely only do if he’s happy with his destination.
What might Adams cost in a trade?
Adams is a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, and two-time receiving touchdown leader who has been one of the very best wide receivers in the NFL for nearly a decade. The Raiders gave up a first-round pick and a second-round pick in 2022 to acquire the then-29-year-old receiver. Now on the wrong side of 30, the price tag won’t be as high, though it will still be hefty as ESPN’s Insider Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders “would consider” trading Adams for a package including a second-round pick plus additional compensation.
For the Jets, this would be a non-issue as the team has their second-round pick in the 2025 draft as well as two third-round picks thanks to some of general manager Joe Douglas’s trade-backs during the 2024 draft.
Adams might no longer be the 1,500+ yard receiver he was at his peak, but his per-game averages this season, 6.0 receptions and 69.7 yards, are nearly identical to his per-game averages last season where he tallied 103 catches and 1,144 receiving yards to go along with eight touchdowns. Adams might not realize those totals this season as he’s already missed week four and is set to miss week five with a hamstring injury, but the injury is not expected to be serious and shouldn’t derail his season.
How does Adams fit with the Jets?
After the Jets’ receiving corps was left in tatters by the end of last season forcing the team to at times start two rookie undrafted free agents alongside star receiver Garrett Wilson, the team invested a lot in the wide receiver position this offseason. First, in free agency, they brought in former Los Angeles Chargers star deep threat, Mike Williams who suffered a season-ending torn ACL last season. Next, they drafted the raw but intriguing receiver prospect Malachi Corley. Lastly, they banked on an Allen Lazard resurgence with the return of Aaron Rodgers.
To date, the results have been mixed. Through four weeks, the Jets rank 18th in team passing yards as Rodgers has struggled to consistently connect with Wilson, Mike Williams is still rounding into form, and Malachi Corley has not made any impact.
Adams would instantly present the Jets with another high-end option to help ease the pressure off of Garrett Wilson and give Rodgers perhaps the most lethal receiving corps he’s had in his entire career. Adams knows the scheme given his connection to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett during their time together in Green Bay, and provides similar route-running prowess to Garrett Wilson proving that he could play a similar role should the third-year star wideout struggle.
Simply put, Adams fits like a glove with the Jets.
The Aaron Rodgers Effect
While it appears that Adams is no longer in the conversation for best wide receiver in the game, there’s a chance that a reunion with Rodgers could change that. The two played together for many years and developed an unstoppable chemistry that made them perhaps the most lethal quarterback-receiver duo in the league during that time.
While Adams posted numbers equal to his best years with Rodgers in his first season in Las Vegas that was with his old friend Derek Carr, his supposed regression last season and this year has come while partnered with very uninspiring quarterbacks like Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. Could he reach his previous peak by being reunited with Rodgers?
While no one knows for sure, a great test case is that of former teammate Allen Lazard. Lazard signed a four-year $44 million contract ahead of last season with the Jets ostensibly to fill their WR2 role while the team brought in Aaron Rodgers. This was after Lazard put up the best season of his career totaling 60 catches, 788 yards, and 6 touchdowns after Adams departed Green Bay.
With Rodgers missing all but four plays in Lazard’s first season with the Jets, the newly signed receiver put up a performance that by any metric made him one of the worst receivers in the NFL. In total, he mustered just 23 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown. However, this season with Rodgers back in the fold, Lazard seems re-born. His current stat line of 16 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns puts him on pace for 68 catches, 876 yards, and 13 touchdowns over 17 games, with his per-game averages being nearly identical to his 2022 campaign.
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With that kind of bounce back from a much less talented receiver, one has to wonder if the same would be possible for Davante Adams. Rodgers is known for demanding a lot from his wide receivers, but also for building close bonds and high levels of communication with them. Should he be reunited with Adams, there’s no reason to think the two won’t pick up right where they left in Green Bay, and that would be a problem for the rest of the league.
The final verdict: Should the Jets pull the trigger on a Davante Adams trade?
The short answer is yes. While the Jets have more pressing needs at edge rusher and could use an improvement to their safety room, sometimes adding to a strength to overwhelm your opponent is the best way to improve the team as a whole. Not only is Adams the best player available on the trade market, but he’s also the player that the team can reasonably acquire who will make the biggest overall impact.
The Jets are in a position where they have some extra draft capital to make meeting the Raiders’ asking price a non-issue, and while there are some short and long-term salary cap implications that will need to be worked out. However, for a team that is all-in on their short window with Aaron Rodgers in the hopes of breaking the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports, and eventually winning a Super Bowl for the first time in over 50 years.
With stakes like that, there is no question that the team needs to push all its chips to the center of the table, and there’s no more potential all-in move than trading for one of the game’s very best players at a high-impact position.
