Just like the Aaron Rodgers era, the Davante Adams era is also ending with the New York Jets. On Tuesday, news broke as the Jets aim to clear salary cap space that they are releasing the veteran wide receiver. Naturally, with Rodgers' future with the Jets ending soon as well, there has long been talk of the two friends reuniting on a new team.
That, however, doesn't mean an Adams-Rodgers reunion is the only way to go. Adams still looks like he has far more in the tank than his longtime quarterback, which should make him far more desirable, especially on a cheap contract he's likely to get and the open market. More importantly, there are far more teams in need of wide receiver help than there are teams who also need a quarterback.
So if we're looking in the realm of teams that need Davante Adams but couldn't care less about Aaron Rodgers, these seven teams all come to mind as great landing spots for the veteran wide receiver in the next stage of his career.
7. Dallas Cowboys
Even if it's cost-effective, this doesn't entirely seem like the type of move that Jerry Jones would make for the Dallas Cowboys. The franchise has been notoriously stingy when it comes to acquiring outside free agents, relying largely on the drafts and, to a lesser degree, trades largely to build their roster. So in that capacity, it's not a natural fit to see Adams signing in Big D.
That doesn't change the fact, however, that this should be in the cards for Adams and the Cowboys. Dak Prescott and then Cooper Rush following QB1's injury this past season were faced with the harsh reality that the receiving corps is lacking outside of CeeDee Lamb. He's a viable WR1 in this league but a functional offense always has more than one reliable option at wide receiver — and Dallas currently doesn't.
The one thing that could lead Jones to explore an option is the cheap price tag for a player who still has some juice, especially if he's moving into more of a secondary role. However, I still wouldn't peg this as the most likely landing spot.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team on this list that qualify as a landing spot for both Davante Adams with Rodgers and the wide receiver coming without Rodgers. This franchise needs to find some answers at quarterback this offseason with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields hitting free agency, but the need at wide receiver has persisted for much longer than that.
Adams coming into the fold without Rodgers might be the ideal option for the Steelers, though. No matter who they bring in at quarterback aside from the longtime Packers signal-caller, it would be quite a 1-2 punch to work with by pairing Adams with George Pickens. Furthermore, Adams has been a consummate professional throughout his career and having that type of presence in the locker room with the engimatic Pickens may also help some of the long-term concerns there.
Rodgers and Adams coming to Pittsburgh together is definitely on the table, which is why the Steelers aren't atop this list. But I'd maintain that just pursuing Adams should definitely still be on Omar Khan's radar.
5. Houston Texans
It's going to be a fascinating offseason for the Houston Texans as they're set to enter year three with C.J. Stroud at the helm and while they quickly approach the end of the luxury of having their quarterback on a rookie contract. Last offseason, the franchise took the plunge on the Stefon Diggs trade to upgrade the wide receiver room around Nico Collins and, to a lesser degree, Tank Dell. With Diggs now a pending free agent, Adams could be the next step in that progression.
Adams and Stroud working together feels like magic waiting to happen in the Texans offense. Both are incredibly high-IQ players on that side of the ball and we could easily slip into a world where they are perfectly in-sync and making a ton of noise with the connection they form. Furthermore, it would put less pressure on the likes of Dell and even, to some degree, Collins.
Houston feels like they're often overlooked in conversations such as this. With the need at receiver, a cheap rookie QB contract, and a window to potentially contend, though, last offseason's Diggs trade tells us that we should keep the Texans top of mind as a possible suitor.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Frankly, this feels like what the Kansas City Chiefs were hoping to accomplish when they traded for DeAndre Hopkins ahead of the deadline last season. Now, it's worth noting that Patrick Mahomes should have a fuller complement of weapons that better suits him and Andy Reid's offense than they did in an injury-riddled campaign. Xavier Worthy came into his own down the stretch, Rashee Rice will return, and there's a likely chance Hollywood Brown could come back as a free agent as well.
Having said that, Adams could be a phenomenal fit for what the Chiefs are trying to accomplish with the offense. The Super Bowl embarrassment that Kansas City suffered highlighted blatantly that the lack of speed on offense is hurting this team right now. Adams won't address that, but he could well be the change-of-pace option in the offense to supplement that. Imagine a defense being worried about the team speed and Adams simply occupying open space created by that down-to-down.
As someone who still believes that Adams can be one of the best route-runners and a solid veteran presence on an offense that isn't mired in turmoil, the Chiefs could definitely consider him an asset for the next era of this offense.
3. Green Bay Packers
There's no place like home and there have been allusions already this offseason that Davante Adams could return to where his career started, the Green Bay Packers. Obviously, with Jordan Love in place, there's no danger of two reunions in one and bringing back Aaron Rodgers. However, the undertones of the early Packers offseason have suggested that this team needs a true top wide receiver option and perhaps a veteran atop that depth chart as well.
Make no mistake, there's a lot t like about the young pass-catchers in Green Bay. Christian Watson has been great when healthy, the same of which is true of Romeo Doubs. Meanwhile, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks have also had plenty of moments of promise in their young careers as well. Game-to-game, though, Love has seemed to be missing a truly reliable safety option that he can rely on no matter the situation, something Adams has proven to be throughout his career.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has seemingly been teasing a more aggressive offseason than Green Bay fans might be accustomed to. Going out and bringing Adams back to the Frozen Tundra wouldn't just be part of that, but it'd also send the fan base over the moon.
2. New England Patriots
If there's one piece of advice that I could give the New England Patriots this offseason, it'd be to make sure that there is no stone left unturned. Despite a truly abysmal situation last year, Drake Maye showed the signs of being a franchise quarterback that are worth investing in now. New England has the most cap space in the league, a set quarterback on a rookie contract, and needs across the board. They may go big-game hunting for someone like Chris Godwin or Tee Higgins, but that shouldn't preclude them from pursuing Adams as well.
Given what last season looked like offensively, it's not crazy to think that Kayshon Boutte and maybe Ja'Lynn Polk (assuming a massive turnaround) are the only receivers of consequence who have any role to play in the 2025 campaign. The Patriots need to get a No. 1 for Maye in the form of Godwin, Higgins, Cooper Kupp or whoever else, but having a high-caliber WR2 like Adams will only further help the cause.
The Patriots have the money and a window of opportunity, so they need to spend it. And there are a lot worse ways to spend that money than using a small portion of it to get a player like Adams in to help a stud young quarterback.
1. Los Angeles Chargers
Truly, I'm fascinated to see what Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers plan to do at wide receiver this offseason. They struck gold with Ladd McConkey early in the second round of last year's draft, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who looks at the Bolts and feels good about this group of pass-catchers collectively. And while there's an argument to be made for adding more a speed element, it'd also be difficult to push back on the notion of adding Adams.
For so many years, Keenan Allen absolutely thrived with the Chargers. Adams is somewhat of a suped-up version of Allen in terms of the route-running ability but a bit more juice, albeit not a ton at this stage of his career. He can, however, bring much of the same to this offense and give Justin Herbert a more balanced offensive attack, one that may be a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats situation for him and McConkey too.
The Chargers are going a bit under the radar early this offseason when it comes to the wide receiver market. Don't be surprised, however, if they're a bigger player than some expect just simply by looking at the situation and current roster construction.