The Saints must go all-in to get Davante Adams.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams is seemingly done with the Las Vegas Raiders after putting in a trade request on Tuesday following the team's Week 4 victory over the Cleveland Browns, which the pass-catcher sat out of with an injury. While many teams would like to have him, reports are that Adams would prefer to go to a team that has a quarterback he is familiar with. That means there are really two options: Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets or Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints.
To swoop in and steal Adams for the Jets — the most likely landing spots – the Saints will have to come with a stronger trade offer. That means the Saints' trade proposal that reunites Davante Adams with Derek Carr is simple but massive. New Orleans will have to give up a first-round pick.
Why do the Saints have to give up a valuable first-round selection in a Davante Adams trade despite reports that the Raiders would take a second-rounder for him?
Because the Jets have way more ammunition and motivation to go and get their guy.
The Saints currently have their own picks in Rounds 1-5 of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Washington Commanders own their sixth-round selection, though. New Orleans may also have two seventh-rounders from other teams but those are based on conditional trades so they can't move them at the NFL trade deadline.
On the other hand, the New York Jets have an extra third-rounder from the Detroit Lions and an extra sixth from the Kansas City Chiefs. That puts the AFC squad in a much better position to sweeten a second-round pick-based trade for Adams.
The Jets are also desperate. They are 1-3 after four weeks, compared to the Saints at 2-2, in a harder division and with a 40-year-old quarterback with a season or two at most left in him. In this situation, the Jets will likely be able to offer more draft compensation overall but could shy away from letting their first-round pick go because they may have to draft a top-10 QB with it next year if this season continues to implode.
All this is why the only way for the Saints to make a Davante Adams trade is by using the nuclear option and sending it's next first-rounder to the Raiders.
