I usually ignore trade rumors, which are often fan- or media-generated and take on a life of their own. But at this point, it appears the Davante Adams rumors need to be taken seriously. Certainly, there will be a market.
Adams is 31, but he can still play. He caught 9 passes for 110 yards and a score in the upset win over Baltimore just a few weeks back. But he injured a hamstring in practice last week, and almost immediately came the speculation that his hamstring would start to feel better if the Raiders were to trade him out of town. I'm not really putting any stock in that, but it is fair to say that Adams might not rush back to a Raiders team that isn't going anywhere this season.
(Supposedly, Antonio Pierce "liked" a social media post speculating that Adams was on the way out of town. I don't know why I'm passing it along, maybe it's not true; it's certainly pretty silly. But an Adams trade would make sense at some point.)
There are teams with better playoff hopes than Las Vegas in need of a wide receiver. People keep mentioning the Jets because of Adams and Aaron Rodgers' warm feelings for each other, but there are better options. Several AFC North teams could seemingly use a wideout, the Steelers most notably.
Even if Adams were healthy and playing for Las Vegas, I think I'd sit him down this week. The Raiders are in Denver, and cornerback Patrick Surtain is having a Defensive MVP type season so far.
Surtain has faced four No. 1 wide receivers so far. None of those players have scored, and only one reached 30 yards. He's the reason the Broncos defense is one of the surprises of the season thus far.
| NO. 1 WRS VERSUS DENVER | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | No | Rec | TD |
| DK Metcalf | 4 | 3 | 29 | 0 |
| George Pickens | 4 | 2 | 29 | 0 |
| Mike Evans | 3 | 2 | 17 | 0 |
| Garrett Wilson | 8 | 5 | 41 | 0 |
If Adams plays this week, I'll pass. If he's out, I'll pass on Jakobi Meyers.
But if Adams gets traded in the next week or two or three, I'll be interested.
--Andy Richardson