Davante Adams Trade Rumors: Jets, Saints 'In the Driver's Seat' to Land Raiders Star

The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints reportedly remain the front-runners in a potential trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar wide receiver Davante Adams.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Jets and Saints are "in the driver's seat" since Adams' preference is to play with one of his former quarterbacks in the Jets' Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr of the Saints.

Fowler added that New Orleans may be the favorite between the two teams since it is "willing to be aggressive."

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the 31-year-old as well, but Fowler suggested it may not be plausible if he prefers to play elsewhere even though he doesn't have a no-trade clause.

It was also noted by Fowler that the Raiders have told at least one team with interest in Adams that they don't want to retain any of his $16.89 million salary, which could narrow down the list of teams willing or able to trade for him.

Adams has familiarity with aspects of both the Jets and Saints, but both teams have been going through some turmoil recently.

After losing back-to-back games to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings to drop to 2-3 on the season, the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, replacing him with defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.

However, the real draw for Adams in New York is Rodgers, who was his quarterback with the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2021.

Adams played a big role in Rodgers winning back-to-back NFL MVP awards in 2020 and 2021, and he put up huge numbers each of those seasons, leading the NFL with 18 touchdown catches in 2020 and setting career highs with 123 receptions for 1,553 yards in 2021.

And Jets offensive coordinator is Nathaniel Hackett, who was the Packers' OC from 2019 to 2021.

As for the Saints, they started the season 2-0 and looked to have an elite offense under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but they have since dropped three games in a row.

Also, Carr suffered an oblique injury during Monday night's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which could cause him to miss some time.

Carr and Adams played together collegiately at Fresno State and then spent one season as NFL teammates with the Raiders in 2022.

Adams' production didn't drop off with Carr as his quarterback, as he recorded 100 grabs for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2021 before the Raiders cut the signal-caller and he signed with the Saints prior to the 2023 season.

It is fair to wonder if Carr missing game action would prompt Adams to prefer a move to the Jets or elsewhere, although he has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury in his own right, and Fowler reported that teams are unsure if he would be ready to return this week.

Quarterback play seems to be a huge factor for Adams, as Fowler reported that he gets the sense his desire to be traded stems from the Raiders' unsettled quarterback situation.

After Vegas cut Carr, it signed Jimmy Garoppolo, but he was benched fairly early in the 2023 season and replaced by rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell.

The Raiders then signed another veteran this past offseason in Gardner Minshew II, who has struggled to the tune of four touchdowns and five interceptions through five games.

It's fair to say the Jets and Saints have quarterback question marks as well since Rodgers is 40 and coming off an Achilles tear, while Carr is also banged up right now, but it sounds as though Adams values the comfort level he has with both signal-callers.