Davante Adams confirms one trade suitor that wasn't 'on the list'

The New York Jets officially acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday in exchange for a conditional third-round pick. This was a long time coming. Adams loves Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers loves Adams. We all knew this was coming, and now Adams is slated to make his Jets debut on Sunday.

That said, it wasn't always 100 percent certain. There were other teams in the mix, such as the New Orleans Saints, helmed by Adams former college teammate Derek Carr. Or the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, two bonafide AFC contenders with noticeable holes at the wide receiver position.

Despite ostensibly better teams on his radar, however, Adams opted for friendship and familiarity. The Jets held up their end of the bargain, presumably making the best offer. The 32-year-old wideout essentially admitted that New York was his preferred landing spot in an appearance on Up & Adams.

Davante Adams allegedly wrote down four teams on the paper he gave to Raiders GM Tom Telesco — New York, Buffalo, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh. No real surprises. This was all well reported. But, Kay Adams took it a step further and asked if the Kansas City Chiefs, another WR-needy contender, were ever on his radar.

The All-Pro wideout did not mince words.

"Negative," Adams said. "That was talked about. I don't want to say anything crazy, but the Chiefs were not on the list."

Davante Adams claims Chiefs were 'not on the list' of teams to be traded to

There are several different ways to read this intentionally vague yet simultaneously blunt comment from Adams. There Chiefs were "talked about," so the concept was at least brought up with the Raiders front office at some point. But, clearly it was never a serious possibility.

For one thing, the Chiefs were never going to absorb Adams' contract. Maybe it's as simple as Kansas City never showed interest. Or, we could read it as Adams holding a grudge against the Chiefs organization. He went to court to fight assault charges after pushing a videographer at Arrowhead Stadium in 2022. Or, perhaps most likely, the Raiders were just never going to trade Adams to Kansas City. A trade is a two-way street. Adams could have put the Chiefs No. 1 on his list, but that would not make it easier for the Raiders to stomach sending him to a division rival.

Adams isn't out of the AFC, but he's at least out of the division in New York. Odds are the Raiders won't cross paths with Adams in the postseason on their current trajectory. If Adams was in Kansas City, however, they'd have to face him twice per season and potentially watch as their former crown jewel contends for a Super Bowl with a bitter rival.

There's no fun in that.

The Chiefs thing was never happening — probably for several reasons. Above all else, Adams just wanted to play with his pal again. The Jets aren't even that good, but the chance to catch passes from Rodgers was all Adams needed to punch his own ticket out of Sin City. Let's see how it all works out on Sunday (hint: get ready for a crash and burn).