Steelers Lose WR Davante Adams Trade Sweepstakes to Upcoming Opponent

Wide receiver Davante Adams is not coming to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on October 15 that the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to trade Adams to the New York Jets.

“Back with his good friend, Aaron Rodgers,” Rapoport tweeted. “As Las Vegas moves on.”

Adams is heading to New York just three days after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Steelers had “strong interest” in acquiring Adams.

“The feeling among the people I’ve spoken to is Las Vegas has started with the Saints and Jets, in part because Adams is interested in playing there,” Fowler wrote. “But the longer this goes, perhaps the more things open up for a team such as Pittsburgh.”

But a night after the Jets fell to 2-4 with their Monday night loss to the Buffalo Bills, New York acquired the 3-time All-Pro receiver.

Raiders Trade Davante Adams to Jets

The Jets have been the front runner to land Adams since trade rumors started around the receiver. But NFL insiders didn’t seem to believe the deal would occur immediately.

Fowler wrote that the earliest it could happen was after Week 6.

Presumably, the holdup on any deal for Adams was the trade compensation and the receiver’s salary. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Raiders wanted a second-round pick and didn’t want to retain any of Adams’ salary.

The Jets essentially gave in to those demands. Schefter reported New York is sending a conditional third-round pick to the Raiders for Adams. The selection could became a second-rounder.

The Jets also agreed to pay the remainder of Adams’ 5-year, $140 million contract.

Adams will have a cap hit of $36.25 million for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. But there’s a potential out in the contract before the 2025 season.

The end result is Adams will receive the opportunity to play with quarterback Aaron Rodgers again. Adams played the first eight years of his career for the Green Bay Packers with Rodgers.

Adams made the Pro Bowl during each of his final five seasons with the Packers. He also earned a first-team All-Pro nomination in his last two campaigns with Green Bay.

This season, Adams has 18 receptions, 209 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Social Media Jokes About Adams Joining Jets

X (formerly Twitter) had a lot of jokes about the Adams trade to New York.

On paper, the Rodgers-Adams reunion could be very significant for the Jets offense. But at 40 years old, Rodgers isn’t exactly playing at an MVP level.

Adams is now 31. Although he recorded his fifth 1,000-yard season in 2023, he averaged more than 4 fewer yards per catch last season.

He has also missed the past three games with a hamstring injury.

Sports commentator Tyler Conway joked Rodgers and Adams reuniting in New York is similar to former NBA stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce playing together a second time for the Brooklyn Nets.

Garnett and Pierce won an NBA title together but with the Boston Celtics.

Even if Adams improves the Jets passing game, fantasy football analyst Michael Hauff doubted whether he would be able to make enough of an impact.

“Davante Adams going from the dysfunctional Raiders to the dysfunctional Jets,” wrote Hauff as caption to a video of a clown walking around.

A lot more pundits joked about Adams and his hamstring injury.

Adams’ health is a key factor for the Steelers even though they didn’t acquire the receiver. The Steelers will host the Jets on October 20.

Adams could make his Jets debut versus the Steelers No. 17 pass defense.

The Steelers avoided facing Adams when they played the Raiders in Week 6. But if Adams plays well this weekend, it will be a double whammy for the Steelers, who still badly need to acquire a receiver.

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, though, reminded Pittsburgh fans that an Adams trade to the Steelers was never very likely.

“No way you can moan and bitch that the Steelers didn’t trade for Davante Adams,” Kaboly wrote on X. “The guy wanted to play with Aaron Rodgers — the guy he played with for 8 years and his most success with.

“There is nothing you can do about that.”