Report: Bills 'could get into the mix' of Davante Adams sweepstakes

ESPN reports that the Buffalo Bills are "monitoring" trade talks revolving around Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

Kyle Silagyi | Oct 6, 2024

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As murmurs regarding three-time All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams’ playing future steadily grow louder, the Buffalo Bills are reportedly listening.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that trade talks regarding the Las Vegas Raiders pass-catcher are expected to significantly progress next week; though the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are widely viewed as the front-runners to land the 31-year-old, the insider notes that the Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens are “monitoring” the sweepstakes and “could get into the mix.”

Buffalo’s reported (at least initial) interest is not necessarily surprising, as general manager Brandon Beane has long talked about his obligation to do his due diligence whenever a premier name is reportedly on the trade market; that said, the team’s intrigue may be genuine, as it lacks a bonafide No. 1 pass-catcher. The Bills adopted an ‘everyone eats’ offensive approach after the offseason departure of Stefon Diggs, constructing a group of versatile weapons to which quarterback Josh Allen can disperse the ball amongst relatively evenly; the strategy has proved fruitful thus far, as the Bills rank near the top of the league in total points through four games. That said, there’s no weapon in Buffalo’s receiving corps that strikes significant fear into the hearts of opposing defenses.

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Adams would certainly fill that void. Unequivocally one of the best wide receivers in football, he’s usurped 1,000 receiving yards in five of his last six campaigns, leading the league in receiving touchdowns in two of those seasons. He’s coming off a 2023 season in which he caught 103 passes for 1,144 yards and eight scores on a lackluster Raiders team; he’s reeled in 18 passes for 209 yards in three games thus far this year.

Offensive philosophy aside, Adams would provide a major boost to a Bills offense that lacks an alpha target to go to in key moments. The biggest potential hiccup here is the receiver’s contract; he has a base salary of $17 million, and Buffalo currently has just north of $3 million in available salary cap space. The Bills would need to convince the Raiders to eat a significant portion of Adams’ contract, something it may have the necessary assets to do; Las Vegas reportedly wants a second-round pick in exchange for the wideout, and Buffalo acquired an extra second-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for Diggs this past April. The Bills also expect to have three fourth-round picks in next year’s event, one or several of which they could use as a sweetener to convince the Raiders to eat salary.

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