Davante Adams should consider Steelers as trade destination instead of settling with Aaron Rodgers’ Jets
As the NFL world approaches Week 5 of the regular season, the hottest topic surrounds a player who won't even play on Sunday. Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams turned the NFL world upside down earlier this week when announcing that he preferred to be traded. And while a clear favorite has emerged, the Pittsburgh Steelers might […]
As the NFL world approaches Week 5 of the regular season, the hottest topic surrounds a player who won't even play on Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams turned the NFL world upside down earlier this week when announcing that he preferred to be traded.
And while a clear favorite has emerged, the Pittsburgh Steelers might be the team that makes the most sense for Adams:
Davante Adams Zeroing in on Jets, Steelers Lurking
Per multiple reports, The New York Jets, and a reunion with Aaron Rodgers, have emerged as the clear favorite for Adams' next destination. A league source also tells A to Z Sports that while the Jets are the "most likely scenario," the Pittsburgh Steelers have also shown interest and would make a logical fit for the All-Pro wideout.
The most likely scenario for Davante Adams is that he's traded to the New York Jets. He has expressed a want to team up with Aaron Rodgers again, and Rodgers (who plays a role in decision making) would like him in New York. There is a 95% chance Adams is a Jet in the near future, with the Steelers making up the other 5%.
The team was close to a trade for San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, and have shown interest in acquiring Adams. Pittsburgh is in a spot where Adams can come in and receive his targets while being apart of a first place team and winning culture, but the familiarity with New York may outweigh Pittsburgh's situation.
– League Source
Trade Compensation & Financials
The Steelers were willing to part ways with a 2025 2nd and 5th-round pick for Brandon Aiyuk, but this is an entirely different situation. Not only is Aiyuk five years Adams' junior, but he was also seeking a new deal, meaning Pittsburgh could negotiate his price and properly manage his 2024 cap hit.
With Adams, the team is trading for the remainder of his current contract, which has a larger base salary than their current 2024 cap allocates, on top of a massive jump in future years.
"Adams is set to make $16,980,000 in base salary over the 2024 season, which is paid out each week. So far, he's made $3,733,333.33 of that salary through four games, which leaves around $13,246,666.70 to be paid out over the remainder of the year.
"Therefore, the acquiring team in a hypothetical trade would need to have the latter number in both cap room and cash amount. Right now the only team that has both those amounts is, yep, the Jets. They currently have over $16.8 million in cap room, per Over The Cap and more than $22.8 million in cash, per Spotrac.
"There's also Adams' 2025 and 2026 base salaries, which are $35.640 million, apiece. Those numbers would certainly get reworked, but again, that requires moving parts, to an extent (restructures are typically required and can't be fought by players unless contractually agreed upon, beforehand)."
– A to Z Sports NFL's Evan Winter
Pittsburgh's current cap space sits at a little over $10.5m for 2024, meaning they would have to find an additional $2.6 to $2.7m in space via some sort of contract restructure on the current roster.
As far as trade compensation, general manager Omar Khan didn't earn the nickname "Khan artist" for being soft in his trades, as his drive for a hard bargain already cost him one WR this summer. To think he would offer a much better package than New York is rich to say the least.
So the situation is clear. Adams can play for a division leader, be the lead target getter, and play for a franchise that has been the picture of stability in Pittsburgh. The Jets have a lot more question marks when it comes to their coaching staff, culture and target share thanks to Garrett Wilson, but football is a who you know business, and Rodgers-Adams' friendship could be the deciding factor.
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