Davante Adams appears to prefer Aaron Rodgers reunion over better situations

Davante Adams has reportedly made it clear to the Las Vegas Raiders that he wants out.

Antonio Pierce convinced Adams to give the Silver and Black one final go-around this summer, but the season has already gone sideways. There's still time for the Raiders to right the ship, but a feeble O-line, lackluster defense, and mediocre quarterback play generally won't get the job done.

At 32 years old, Adams only has so many years of prime football left in the tank. He managed 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, despite Las Vegas' unsettled QB room. He has 209 yards and a score through three appearances in 2024, but Adams could miss several weeks now due to a hamstring injury.

That further drives home the finite nature of Adams' career. He is not immune to future ailments and the Raiders are on the track to nowhere, traveling fast. Las Vegas is demanding a second-round pick as the foundation of any Adams trade package. This seems like a fair ask, even with the financial complications inherent to such a major trade.

Even if the Raiders are eventually forced to compromise, it shouldn't be difficult to pry a couple solid assets away from a contender in exchange for the six-time Pro Bowl wideout. Adams has drawn interest from several teams already, but there appears to be one destination he prefers above all else, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Davante Adams wants to rejoin Aaron Rodgers on the Jets

We should've seen this coming several miles away, probably as soon as Week 1 of last season. Adams' discontentment has been percolating for a while, even if he has gone through his fair-weather periods in Las Vegas. This team was never going to earnestly compete and Adams was always going to pine for a reunion with his former Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers.

It has been a rocky start to the campaign for the New York Jets, who are 2-2 after a disheartening loss to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday (Vegas is also 2-2, for what it's worth). Rodgers has looked mostly sharp, but he's stiffer than we're used to and still shaking off some of the rust from a protracted Achilles rehab. That is to be expected, but the Jets are on a condensed timeline. There is an extremely limited window to contend with Rodgers. They can't afford an extended lull.

Trading for Adams would certainly help to wake up the Jets' offense. Rodgers has found himself playing favorites at times this season, forcing passes to Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall when other, less trusted receivers might be more open. Adams gives him another dependable target, somebody who understands on a chemical level how Rodgers operates at the line of scrimmage and how he tends to read a defense.

We cannot overstate the value of chemistry between a quarterback and his wide receiver. Adams doesn't have quite the same burst he once had, but he's a tall, physical pass-catcher who can run his routes as well as anybody in the NFL. Rodgers gets the football out quickly and tends to pass teammates open. It's a different experience compared to Gardner Minshew, which Adams knows better than anybody.

Should he prefer a more established contender? Perhaps. The Kansas City Chiefs stand out as an obvious landing spot, although the financial complications would be pronounced. A lot of winning teams come with fewer question marks than New York, but it's not hard to understand why Adams prefers the comfort and familiarity of playing with Rodgers. He knows the Jets will be a productive partnership (at least for him individually) and he knows that Rodgers can win a bunch of games at full strength.

This is a reunion years in the making. At this point, if Adams ends up anywhere but New York, it'll probably feel wrong.