Saints the 'favorite' in Davante Adams trade sweepstakes

As the Raiders look for the right Davante Adams trade partner, the Saints have now jumped to the front of the line.

When it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders trading Davante Adams, it appears now to be a when/where question rather than an if. As the Raiders look for the right trade partner, the New Orleans Saints have emerged as a favorite.

For starters, New Orleans rosters Derek Carr, the quarterback Adams went to the Raiders for in the first place. Furthermore, the Saints plan on being aggressive in his trade pursuit. New Orleans being on his short list of trade destination preferences and them being actually willing to swing a deal has the Saints at the top of the list, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The biggest problem for New Orleans will come down to the money. Las Vegas has been unwilling to retain any of Adams' almost $17 million salary. The Saints are 28th in the league with just under $4 million available in cap space. The team's front office would need to maneuver the financial side of things to make a deal feasibly possible.

But there is a reason the Saints are so aggressive on a trade as Adams would undoubtedly improve their offense. Through the first five weeks, New Orleans' pass offense ranks 18th in the league, averaging 323.2 yards per game. While Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed have been impressive, Davante Adams is an upper echelon receiver.

With Derek Carr battling through injury, the Saints must first figure out what the plan is at quarterback. But as long as New Orleans has the playoffs on the front of their mind, so will be Adams. There is sure to be plenty of competition, just based on the caliber of receiver Adams is. But in terms of realistic trade scenarios, the current Raiders star landing with the Saints has become one of the more realistic.

It'll be up to New Orleans to bring the trade to the finish line should their interest be sincere.