It remains to be seen whether the New England Patriots will take another big swing at wide receiver before the NFL's trade deadline hits on November 5.
New England made a play for San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk, but Aiyuk elected to remain in San Francisco. Pats head coach Jerod Mayo also raised eyebrows with his comments about a possible trade for Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb. Both Aiyuk and Lamb are staying put, but that doesn't mean New England couldn't make a move to add another veteran WR. Enter Davante Adams.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report compiled some "bold trade predictions" heading into the 2024 regular season, and he believes Adams getting traded feels inevitable.
"There was plenty of trade speculation surrounding Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams this summer," Ballentine wrote on August 31.
"The buzz grew so loud that Adam's agent had to come out and say that the rumors were 'baseless, unfounded speculation' and noted that Adams is, 'expected to be with the Raiders.' That may all be true, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this will be a topic of discussion again before the trade deadline."
There has been loads of chatter surrounding a potential trade that would send Adams to the New York Jets, where he would reunite with his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While the Jets remain the clear frontrunner, unexpected teams sneak in all the time. The Pats could at least make a play for the two-time All-Pro's services.
It's possible Adams would consider New England's QBs, led by veteran Jacoby Brissett and promising rookie Drake Maye, a significant upgrade over Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell.
Adams has two years remaining on the five-year, $140 million deal he signed with the Raiders in March of 2022. New England currently has the 3rd-most salary cap space of any team in the league with $37.3 million, according to Over the Cap.
"The 31-year-old has two more years left on his Raiders contract, but the team would clear $17.5 million by trading him and there isn't much guaranteed money in those last two years," Ballentine noted. "Don't be surprised if Adams trade rumors are a hot topic again during the season."
Adams had over 1,500 receiving yards his first season with the Raiders in 2022. He finished with 103 catches for 1,144 yards and scored 8 touchdowns in 17 games in 2023. Despite balling out in Vegans, Adams has been admittedly frustrated with the lack of offensive talent surrounding him, particularly at QB.
On the Netflix show "Receiver," Adams was visibly frustrated on multiple occasions. One snippet in particular was telling:
"I gotta get the (expletive) outta here before I lose my (expletive) life," he said during the Raiders' Week 6 game against the Patriots. "I ain't never been hit this many (expletive) times in my career."
Ballentine isn't the only one who believes Adams will be traded soon.
"There aren't high expectations for the Raiders around the league. Barring an unexpectedly hot start, some around the league are wondering if the Raiders would move receiver Davante Adams at the trade deadline," Jeff Howe of The Athletic wrote on September 2.
"They need to maximize their draft assets to find a franchise quarterback, and the 31-year-old Adams isn't likely to be around when the Raiders are ready to make a playoff push."
The Patriots likely have their franchise guy in Maye. Could he be enough to convince Adams to come to New England? Probably not, but stranger things have happened.