NFL Trade Rumors: Should the Saints Pursue Star Wide Receiver Davante Adams?

Davante Adams is going to be intriguing for a lot of NFL teams, so what about the Saints?

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) enters the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders and Davante Adams are headed for a split. At least that's what we're being lead on to believe from the reports. Adams said he prefers to be traded, and ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Tuesday afternoon that Las Vegas would “consider” trading the 32-year-old receiver for a package that would include a second-round pick and additional compensation.

Yes, every team should probably do their due diligence on Adams, and that includes the Saints at least having conversations. However, is it realistic to believe they'd acquire him and reunite him with Derek Carr?

The Cost For Davante Adams

Oct 22, 2017; Green Bay, WI, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) breaks up the pass intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald put together an article on the cost to trade Davante Adams that you should check out. Here's some of the skinny he put in there.

The cost to trade for Adams at the moment would be $13.526 million. That number would drop by $968K each week that Adams’ remains on the Raiders roster. 11 teams in the NFL have the cap space necessary to make such a trade including the Jets, Cowboys, and Browns.

The Saints are not in that boat currently, having just $3,265,633 in cap space according to the latest public salary cap report from the NFLPA. New Orleans does have the asking price of a 2nd Round pick for next year, having all of their picks in the first six rounds.

Adams carries a $44.1 million cap hit going into 2025, and it's none of it is guaranteed. Neither is his 2026 figure of $45.1 million. He has a prorated signing bonus of $15.7 million coming to him that's split up over the next two years, while he carries base salaries of $35.64 million and $36.64 million in each of the next two seasons. He'd become a free agent after this season anyway, if we're being honest.

In theory, New Orleans could swing the 2nd Round pick and likely do some type of swap for a Day 2/3 pick. While it was a completely different regime last year, the Saints did try to acquire Hunter Renfrow from the Raiders last season at the trade deadline. GM Mickey Loomis maintained that nothing ever got really serious, while NFL Network's Ian Rapoport stated that there was 'just so much contractual stuff that they had to work out and who was going to pay his salary'.

Is it impossible for the Saints to pick up someone like Davante Adams? No. Will they? I'd be surprised, but never say never. The financials are something that is clearly going to be an obstacle. It wouldn't stop New Orleans, but it would obviously be intriguing to see if any moves are made over the next bit to see them attempt to make some space.

Dennis Allen said on Monday afternoon, "We got to find some other guys that can make plays for us other than Alvin (Kamara), (Chris) Olave, Taysom (Hill). I thought Rashid (Shaheed) did some good things from an offensive perspective." New Orleans does need some firepower, and is it in the building? If so, it needs to show up sooner rather than later.

Davante Adams turns 33 in December and is going to help whatever team he does end up getting traded to. The only big questions that remain are when does it happen and who gets him. Don't count the Saints out automatically, but they also have a lot of other pressing needs to address right now.