By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — The sweepstakes for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is about to heat up.with the wideout likely missing one or two weeks with injury, his trade market began as a series of check-ins and now is beginning to escalate into a series of more serious conversations. Per a pair of insider reports, the New Orleans Saints are working to be sure that they are firmly implanted in those talks.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints have been the “most aggressive” team pursuing the wide receiver. But it’s another team that is expected to be the true front-runner.
“Adams, sources say, views the New York Jets and his old friend Aaron Rodgers, as his top choice for a landing spot,” Rapoport said. “That’s where he wants to play. But it’s been the New Orleans Saints who have been the most aggressive…”
Rapoport is not the only NFL insider to continue linking the Saints and Adam. ESPN’s Adam Schefter did the very same on his report.
“The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are considered the two favorites to land Adams,” Schefter said. “But they are hardly the only teams interested in the three-time All Pro.”
Several teams like the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers have also been linked to the Adams lottery. Which team comes out on top will come down to where Las Vegas gets the best return. The Saints aggressive approach is promising in that case, as they will likely need help landing Adams from a financial standpoint. The more the Raiders take on, the more trade capital they could require. So, if New Orleans is willing to be aggressive enough to match that ask, they could become tough competition to beat for other teams.
With the Saints being able to offer Adams a landing spot with his former quarterback in Derek Carr and wide receivers coach Keith Williams is a nice headline. But it won’t be what brings the highly-accomplished pass-catcher to the Big Easy if he were to be traded to New Orleans. Those are elements of what would make him comfortable once he arrived, but the trade itself will be all about the compensation.
We answered a lot of questions around potential Adams trade last week. But the action is finally truly about to get under way. The Saints could be looked at as favorites by some, long shots by others, but one thing that is for sure is that they will be firmly implanted in the pursuit.
