Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is reportedly looking for a change, with the Detroit Lions emerging as a potential destination. Pairing Adams with Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is being discussed in NFL circles.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders were open to trading Adams, stating, “ESPN Sources: Raiders have informed other teams that they would ‘consider’ trading star wide receiver Davante Adams for a package that would include a second-round pick and additional compensation.” Following that report, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that Adams had informed the Raiders that he “would prefer to be elsewhere.”
‘No Cap Hit for the Acquiring Team to Take On Davante Adams’
In ESPN’s weekly column ahead of Week 5, published on October 2, NFL analysts Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler discussed Adams’ trade scenario. Graziano highlighted the Detroit Lions as a potential landing spot for Adams.
“The Jets, Cowboys, Commanders, and Lions are among the teams with enough cap space to trade for Adams now,” Graziano stated. “The Steelers, with about $10.5 million in cap space, might need to wait until the trade deadline or find other ways to create space.”
Graziano also noted, “Adams has two years left on his contract after this season, with scheduled salaries of $35.64 million in both 2025 and 2026. However, none of that money is guaranteed, so there would be no cap hit for the acquiring team if they released him after this season.”
Davante Adams Wants to ‘Win a Super Bowl’
As for what it would cost the Lions to acquire the Six-Time Pro Bowler, Mike Payton of A to Z Sports suggested it might not be too steep, considering Adams is set to turn 32 this season, and the Raiders could be making a cost-cutting move.
Payton proposed that the Lions could trade a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Adams.
“This is based on several factors,” Payton said. “First, the Bears’ trade for Keenan Allen sets the market for older receivers. The Bears acquired Allen for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Since Adams is a better player than Allen, he’s likely to command more, but two Day 3 picks would be a reasonable Deal for the Raiders.”
Payton added that while Adams’ 2024 salary is guaranteed, his 2025 and 2026 salaries are not, allowing the Raiders to free up cap space by trading him. The Lions, meanwhile, would take on his $16.9 million base salary for 2024 and need to restructure his contract to manage his future $35 million salary obligations.
How likely is it that Adams wants to be a Lion? NFL analyst Brad Berreman of SideLion Report believes Detroit’s status as a Super Bowl contender could play a key role in Adams’ decision.
Aside from wanting to play with a quarterback he knows, Adams presumably wants to join a team with legitimate Super Bowl hopes,” Berreman wrote in an October 2 feature. “If not this year, then over the next couple of years (the Jets and Saints are questionable in that regard).
