With some holes in the wide receiver room heading into the offseason, the 49ers should at least kick the tires on adding the veteran pass catcher.
There were rumblings about the New York Jets entering an overhaul this offseason, mostly centered around quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the cadre of players he encouraged the Jets to bring to New York during his tenure.
The Jets officially released Rodgers on Feb. 13. Now, just a few weeks later, ESPN's Adam Schefteris reporting that wide receiver Davante Adams will follow his former teammate to the free agency pool. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that the release is confirmed later this afternoon.
What the market will be like for the 32-year-old wideout will remain to be seen, but earlier reports (which Rapoport reiterated today) indicated that Adams is "intrigued" by teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, but that the pull to the West Coast, as Rapoport put it, is the big draw at this point in his career, along with a chance to win a Super Bowl.
And while the San Francisco 49ers weren't listed among the intriguing teams, their proximity to Adams' hometown of Redwood City (roughly 20 miles from Santa Clara and Levi's Stadium) and a gaping hole in the Niners' wide receiver room with the trade of Deebo Samuel means that Adams should be on their radar.
Davante Adams will have plenty of suitors, can 49ers be one of them?
The choice for Adams could come down to several things, including the contract the team can offer and a chance to be on a competitive team after four seasons in Las Vegas and New York after leaving Green Bay in 2022.
If it's a bidding war, the Deebo trade may ironically hamstring the 49ers, since the move will cost the Niners just over $31 million in dead money in 2025. It doesn't mean they can't offer Adams a strong salary, but with quarterback Brock Purdy's extension looming and questions about what to do with tight end George Kittle and others in the long term, it may allow the Chargers (with their $66-plus million in cap space) to break the bank pursuing Adams.
The Rams and Niners are in similar salary cap situations, although the details of L.A.'s reworking of quarterback Matthew Stafford's deal may give it more cap room.
But, if it comes down to those three teams and Adams decides he just wants to win and money isn't part of the equation, the NFC West foes may find themselves battling it out for his services, since the Chargers, and a move back to the AFC West to contend with Kansas City every year, might be less interesting to Adams.
The fact of the matter is all three teams are hungry to improve their wide receiver room, since the 49ers are trading Deebo, the Rams are expected to release Cooper Kupp, and the Chargers have often failed to field quality receiving targets for Justin Herbert since he arrived.
If the Niners are serious about bouncing back into contention in 2025, though, they need to make a run at adding depth to a group that right now features Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and Brandon Aiyuk coming off a major injury, along with some depth guys who may not move the needle.
Adams is still a high-quality receiver who can add another layer to head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, so the 49ers should do what needs to be done to bring him into the fold for next season.
