With Las Vegas Raiders star receiver Davante Adams reportedly informing the team he’d prefer to be traded after head coach Antonio Pierce reportedly liked an Instagram post of a report that Adams had likely played his last snaps as a Raider, a number of NFL teams are trying to land the multi-time All-Pro.
One of those teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was reported multiple times on Wednesday as things really picked up in the Adams trade talks.
Thursday morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers are among seven teams total that are involved in some capacity in the Adams trade talks, whether as a team that reached out to the Raiders to check in on Adams or are teams Adams would prefer to play for.
That list also includes the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.
“New York is where the Raiders star wants to play after informing the team on Monday he prefers to be traded, multiple sources say. But Adams has not demanded as much from Las Vegas, and this is not a scenario like Rodgers’ in 2023 when the quarterback informed the Packers he would only play for the Jets,” Rapoport writes regarding Adams, according to NFL.com. “In fact, according to sources informed of Adams’ thinking, he is open to playing for several other teams. The New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and perhaps the San Francisco 49ers are among teams that either have inquired about the six-time Pro Bowler or are places Adams would be happy landing.”
It’s not a surprise that the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are possible destinations and preferable to Adams, who could reunite with former quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr. Adams played for eight seasons in Green Bay with Rodgers and put up incredible numbers while he is a former college roommate and teammate of Carr’s and spent one season in Las Vegas with the quarterback.
Since the Raiders traded Carr ahead of the 2023 season, things haven’t gone well in Las Vegas for Adams. It’s culminated in him preferring to be traded rather than playing another snap for the franchise while he recovers from a hamstring injury. While the Raiders are having discussions with teams, Rapoport added that no official offers will happen until Adams is healthy from the hamstring issue.
After being involved in the Brandon Aiyuk trade talks until the very end, it’s not a surprise that the Steelers are involved in Adams, even with Adams being on the wrong side of 30 and highly priced at the receiver position.
He remains the elite of the elite, and the Steelers very clearly need help at the receiver position, where only George Pickens is a true, consistent producer for the Steelers.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that the Steelers and Raiders have an open line of communication regarding the 31-year-old Adams, which is a positive development. We’ll see if anything comes to fruition regarding a trade between the two franchises, which are set to play each other in Week 6 in Las Vegas.
But it’s at least intriguing that the Steelers are among the teams that Adams could be open to playing for, should a trade materialize.
