New York Jets Trading for Davante Adams Would Send a ‘Risky’ Message to Young Star

The New York Jets landing Davante Adams could hurt the feelings of their youngster.

Dec 31, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) runs after a catch while Indianapolis Colts linebacker Grant Stuard (41) and cornerback Chris Lammons (35) defend in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

When the New York Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, the hope was one day, he'd team up with Davante Adams again.

After Adams requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, the possibility of that happening seems bigger than ever. If the Jets could land the superstar wide receiver, it could fix many of their offensive issues.

Entering the campaign, the hope was for Garrett Wilson to become an elite player. Not that he wasn't already one before this year, but to say he was at any comparable level to Adams would be a lie.

There's a reason why the Raiders veteran has been viewed as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL throughout much of the past decade and has a real chance of going down as one of the greatest to ever step on the field.

Wilson could become that one day, but until he proves he can, there's no point in comparing him to a player like Adams.

New York is also in as big of a win-now window as any team around the NFL.

If they don't win a Super Bowl in the next season and a half, there's a chance they won't win one in the foreseeable future.

They understood that when they signed Rodgers, and unless they can find a quarterback who can do what he does when he retires, it should be another tough couple of years with below-average quarterback play.

There doesn't seem to be many negatives about trading for Adams, but Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post highlighted one that could become an issue.

"Bumping all those players down a spot to play to Rodgers’ favorites sends a risky side-kick message to Wilson — who already sounds unhappy with his new route-running restrictions in the offense — and means having a $10 million (Williams) or $11 million (Lazard) per year receiver as the No. 5 option, after accounting for slot receiver Xavier Gipson."

If Wilson were unhappy about this deal, he'd have to take a look in the mirror. If he'd been playing better right now, the Jets likely wouldn't need to go out and find a wide receiver.

It's not that they would've passed up on the opportunity to land Adams even if he were playing well, but the need for a star wide receiver is prevalent due to his downplay.

At the end of the day, New York's goal is to win a Super Bowl. If trading for a receiver helps them, he should be on board.