Davante Adams reportedly wants to join the Jets, but they have competition

Davante Adams requested a trade from the Raiders earlier this week. And according to NFL Network, he has one clear destination: the Jets.

This is far from a surprise, as Adams has been linked to the Jets since Aaron Rodgers demanded a move from Green Bay to New Jersey last year. Adams played the first eight years of his career with the Packers and Rodgers, which helped the 2014 second-round pick become arguably the best receiver in the NFL.

But unlike Rodgers, who only wanted to be traded to the Jets, Adams is reportedly open to several other options. The Saints, Steelers, Ravens, Bills, Cowboys and 49ers are all teams that have inquired about Adams, and the veteran receiver is open to being traded to one of those spots, according to the NFL Network report.

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So what will determine Adams’ goal? It will almost certainly come down to the Raiders accepting whatever compensation package they like best. According to ESPN, which also reported that Las Vegas expects additional compensation, the Raiders have already set the starting price for Adams at a future second-round draft pick.

Even if the Jets were to make a strong offer, the Raiders might also prefer to trade Adams to a team that doesn’t play in the AFC, making them less likely to have to compete with Adams if they remain in playoff contention.

It’s also about taking on Adam’s prorated base salary of $16.9 million. Any team that traded for Adams today would have to pay $13.14 million, but the number is reduced by the cost of his game check, $938,889, since the Raiders are paying him every week. By the Nov. 5 trade deadline, that number will drop to $8.9 million, which is one reason a deal isn’t imminent.

According to Over The Cap, the Jets, who have $16.8 million in cap space, would be more comfortable completing a deal well before the deadline. But a lot of their cap space is tied to Haason Reddick’s $14.1 million base salary, which would end up on the team’s books if he ever ends up running out. One option could be to trade Reddick to the Raiders in a deal, but that would likely require Reddick agreeing to play for the Raiders before making the trade, which is a strange, unpredictable nature of Reddick’s reluctance represents another complex hurdle.

The end result? Just because Adams wants to play for the Jets and the Jets want him doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. The Jets need to make it worth it for the Raiders, and that opens the door for another team to step in for Adams, who seems more interested in being traded to a contender than the Jets specifically.

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Andy Vasquez can be reached at [email protected].