Davante Adams connected to trade that would create a Death Star offense

When former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams requested to be traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, he expected to continue compiling accolades and victories while catching passes from his longtime friend and college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr.

But things change quickly in the NFL. Instead, Adams found that the grass outside of Green Bay is, in fact, not greener. The three-time first-team All-Pro has put together stellar statistical campaigns in his two years with the Raiders, but the team has drastically deteriorated and changed since his arrival.

The Raiders appeared to be on an upward trajectory after their playoff berth in 2021. That season proved to be an anomaly, however. There were high expectations for the Raiders in Adams’ first year in Las Vegas, but the Raiders finished the 2022 season with a 6-11 record in 2022.

To make matters worse, the team moved on from Carr, who was a large part of the reason why Adams joined the Raiders in the first place. In 2023, Adams found himself catching passes from three different starting quarterbacks — Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, and Aiden O’Connell — while playing for two different head coaches.

The Raiders quarterback room looks even bleaker in 2024. After failing to land one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Raiders entered minicamp with O’Connell and journeyman quarterback Gardner Minshew competing for the starting role. 

With an offense that’s bound to struggle, it would be understandable if Adams wanted to play for a playoff contender. Entering his 11th year in the league, the 31-year-old wide receiver is facing football mortality and he has not been able to capture a Super Bowl championship yet.

The Rams would be an unstoppable offense with Davante Adams — but is it realistic?

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport suggested a potential trade that would send Adams to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick.

As Davenport notes, the Rams hardly need Adams to bolster their wide receiver corps. Los Angeles has been adept at selecting and developing star receivers such as Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, who have both set records for receiving yards with the Rams. 

Kupp holds the record for most receiving yards in a single season, including playoffs, with 2,425 yards during the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl championship run. Last season, Nacua compiled 1,473 yards, breaking a rookie receiving yards record set by Bill Groman in 1960. With the rise of running back Kyren Williams, defenses have to respect the Rams' rushing attack as well.

With head coach Sean McVay scheming up plays and quarterback Matthew Stafford making throws with pinpoint accuracy, there's no doubt that Adams would flourish in Los Angeles.

Why the Rams shouldn't trade for Davante Adams

Still, at some point, there are diminishing returns to stockpiling elite weapons. Wide receiver isn’t a key area of need for the roster, and although it never hurts to strengthen a position group, adding a leading veteran wide receiver wouldn’t make sense in a crowded receiver room. After all, there is only one ball to go around.

Los Angeles also doesn't have the salary cap space to fit Adams on their roster. As of now, the Rams have an estimated $8.5 million in salary cap space, which puts them 24th in the league. Adams would carry a $17.5 million salary cap hit in 2024.

Davenport's suggested price of a first-round pick is steep. Adams is 31 years old and likely won't have many more years of elite productivity. In addition, his contract doesn't justify a first-round pick. Although Adams is technically under contract until 2026, he doesn't have any guaranteed money remaining on his deal after the upcoming 2024 season. The final two years of his deal are essentially placeholders. They carry a $35.6 million salary cap hit — which would be unrealistic for any team to carry. Adams would either need to sign a new deal or the Rams would have to release him.

The Rams are no strangers to building a win-now roster — it's how they won Super Bowl LVI in the 2021 season. Adding veteran free agents has allowed them to build a star-studded roster, but as the years have gone on, their options — and capital — have dwindled. The Rams have sold first-round picks in order to acquire players, which means they haven’t been able to replenish their roster with young talent on rookie contracts as their veteran players age.

Trading for Adams wouldn’t serve the Rams in the future, and it wouldn’t make enough of a difference now. 

A move to the Rams could be great for Adams personally, and it wouldn’t hurt for Los Angeles to add another weapon to its offense. But the cost doesn’t justify the price, especially when the Rams need to pivot from their win-now roster-building strategy to something more sustainable for the years to come.