Las Vegas Raiders fans got big news on Tuesday when it broke that Davante Adams sought a trade from the team. Adams entered his second year with the Raiders in 2024, and rumors suggested he could be moved from the team by the trade deadline. There are a few teams who could use his services, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a potential suitor.
The Steelers are in a new offensive era, as they entered the 2024 season with an all-new quarterbacking lineup. Pittsburgh signed former Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson during the offseason and traded for ex-Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. Wilson has been injured for the first part of the season, leaving Fields to bear the load.
Fields has done an admirable job through his first four games. The fourth-year QB has totaled 830 yards and three TDs. Fields have a few receiving weapons, most notably George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. However, adding a stout contributor like Davante Adams could further aid Fields and the Steelers' offense.
Steelers Davante Adams trade proposal
Adams' 2024 contract includes a $24.3 million cap. It is believed that a potential trade for Adams would require teams to get permission to speak to him about a reworked contract, per Jonathan Jones. It is unclear what effect Adams' potential contract rework would have, but as things stand, the Steelers could try to include a player or players to match Adams' hit.
Most of Pittsburgh's cap hits come from defensive players, so for the Raiders to get some offensive value back, they have to dig deep. Moreover, the Steelers have roughly $16 million in cap space, so while it would nonideal, they have the power to absorb a bulk of Adam's contract.
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If the Steelers found a way to restructure Adams' contract and did not want to use their cap space to absorb his pre-worked cap hit, they could send a sample proposal that includes one second-round pick, second-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III, and right guard James Daniels in exchange for Adams.
Austin's contract takes up $1.1 million, Daniels' takes up $11.1 million, so between reworking Adam's $24.3 million cap hit and possibly using cap space, the Steelers could do a deal like this. This is purely theoretical, and the numbers and players included in an actual trade would depend on the reworked contract the Steelers would agree to with Adams. But the idea of getting a promising young receiver and at least one second-round pick is at least something to start with before progressing the conversation further.
It will be interesting to see how things develop between Adams and the Raiders amid his trade request.
