The Davante Adams trade saga is expected to heat up next week as the star receiver will be healthy enough to play after his hamstring injury, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday night. Per Rapoport, if a trade happens next week, it’ll happen by Tuesday.
“With Adams’ hamstring close to being healthy, trade talks are expected to accelerate Monday and Tuesday. If a trade is going to get done this week, which is possible, Tuesday would be the deadline.”
Rapoport reiterated that the Jets are Adams’ preferred destinations, with the Saints as the most aggressive suitor so far. He also named the Bills and Steelers as still being in the mix, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Steelers were planning on making an “aggressive” trade offer.
The Tuesday deadline would make sense as it gives Adams time to get acclimated and up to speed with his new team. Anything later in the week would leave Adams behind in preparation and would make it tough for him to play in Week 6, but it does sound as if he’s played his last down for the Raiders.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Saints and Jets are the two front-runners. He also reported that the Raiders are “adamant” about acquiring a second-round pick.
It’ll be interesting to see how aggressive Pittsburgh is in pursuing Adams after missing out on Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. The team needs another receiver opposite George Pickens, and it’s hard to find a better option than the three-time All-Pro in Adams.
The difficulty in pulling a trade off for the Steelers is that Adams has a pre-existing relationship with Aaron Rodgers from their time in Green Bay and Derek Carr when they were in Las Vegas together. However, the Raiders still have leverage and they won’t deal Adams for a lesser package if he prefers to go to the Jets or the Saints, so if the Steelers come over the top with the best offer.
The Steelers are 3-1, and if they beat the Dallas Cowboys and move to 4-1 tomorrow, it could change their mindset and make them more aggressive in going after Adams. The AFC is loaded, and the Steelers will need as much firepower on offense as possible if they want to make a run in the conference. Adams would be a huge acquisition and give the Steelers one of the best receiver duos in football with Adams and Pickens and would elevate their passing game with either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson under center.
2024 has been the year of wide receivers being linked to the Steelers via trade, but it sounds like a resolution with Adams could be coming in the next few days, so buckle up.
