Just when the meat of the NFL offseason appeared to be over, Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams threw us a curveball.
After just one year in Sin City, Adams may be having second thoughts. The star receiver said he doesn't see eye-to-eye with the Raiders' brass about the direction of the franchise, and this isn't the first time he has criticized the team this offseason. With Adams' criticisms, trade rumors surrounding him have been swirling in recent weeks.
Even with all that, the Raiders wouldn't trade Adams after just one season, would they? According to some sources, the possibility is out there.
If Adams does ask out, where could he go? Without further ado, here are three destinations that may not be the most realistic but would undoubtedly be fun.
New Orleans Saints
First, let's discuss a possible reunion between Adams and new Saints quarterback Derek Carr. Carr, Adams' college teammate at Fresno State, was a big reason why the All-Pro receiver joined the Raiders in the first place, and he didn't seem too happy to see him go. So, if Adams wants out of Vegas, perhaps Carr could convince him to team up again in the Bayou.
The Saints don't have a pressing need at receiver. They already have two very good ones in, Chris Olave and Michael Thomas (when healthy), so they aren't exactly hurting when it comes to offensive weapons. However, there's no denying that Adams would make their offense much scarier and give them probably the best receiving trio in the league. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also mentioned the Saints as a possible destination, so it's certainly possible.
The big issue New Orleans will face when trying to acquire Adams is, as usual, the salary cap. The Saints should be able to fit Adams' cap hit of just under $15 million this season, but it gets dicey after that. New Orleans already has $324 million in cap space allocated for next season, well above any projections for the cap itself. The Saints have pulled off impressive cap gymnastics for years, but taking on Adams' contract that only gets bigger each year may not be a wise move.
As for the trade itself, the Raiders would be looking for a significant haul. That would probably include first and second-round picks, the same price they paid for Adams last offseason. This trade comes with many risks, but the Saints could pursue it if they want to contend.
New York Jets
Next up is another quarterback reunion for Adams, this time with Aaron Rodgers. Of course, Rodgers and Adams were among the league's best duos for years with the Green Bay Packers. Now that Rodgers has moved to the Big Apple, maybe he could get his favorite target to join him.
The Jets have already catered to Rodgers' tastes this offseason, bringing in Packers teammates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Adams would be much harder to get than those two, but it would make their new star quarterback happy.
What makes this trade difficult is the Jets' draft situation. New York already gave up a solid haul of picks to bring in Rodgers and may not want to give up even more capital. If the Jets want to maximize this short-contending window, this is a move worth considering.
Kansas City Chiefs
None of these trades are likely, but this one is almost certainly not going to happen. The Chiefs not only have next to no cap space but are also the Raiders' division rivals. There's no chance that Vegas would be OK with giving a hated rival an All-Pro receiver.
However, let's pretend for a second that this could happen; maybe there's a third team willing to facilitate a trade or something. Davante Adams in the Chiefs' offense would be terrifying for the rest of the league.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce need no introduction; they've dominated the league for years. However, the Chiefs' receiver corps isn't that special right now, lacking a star since trading Tyreek Hill last year. Granted, they just won the Super Bowl without him, so it's not like they desperately need one. They have appeared in DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors all offseason, though, implying that they would like a new star wideout.
As unlikely as he is, Davante Adams is even better than Hopkins. If we fall into the wrong timeline and this somehow happens, good luck to the 31 other NFL teams.
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