Davante

Adams

Apparently nobody was biting on New York’s trade calls over the weekend. Adams’ release will free up roughly $30 million in cap space while leaving a $8 million dead money hit on the Jets’ books. Most of the speculation to date has been on Adams either joining forces with Aaron Rodgers in a new locale or returning the west coast. Adams becomes clearly the No. 1 wideout on the market even entering his age-33 season, coming off a 85/1063/8 season in 14 games split between the Raiders and Jets. There should be plenty of interest in his services, and because he was released, he will not count against the NFL’s compensatory draft pick formula for the signing team.

The Jets stand to save nearly $29.888 million of Adams’ $38.25 million 2025 salary by either trading or releasing him before June 1. The 32-year-old wide receiver remains efficient on a per-route basis, averaging 2.04 yards per route run last year. His hefty base salary looms large and it is unclear as to whether he would strongly advocate for a reunion with Aaron Rodgers if traded. At this point, a release seems most likely.

The veteran quarterback carousel continues to churn. The 41-year-old Rodgers reportedly prefers to head to Los Angeles to play for the Rams and wants to pair up with Davante Adams once again. It would be the third team Rodgers and Adams would play together on, after a successful stint on the Packers and a short, unsuccessful stint with the Jets. The Rams would only consider bringing in Rodgers if they deal the incumbent Matthew Stafford, who has been heavily rumored to move on. One potential scenario is a Stafford trade to the Giants while Rodgers and Adams head to the Rams for one more hurrah.

“Obviously we have a plan there. In the next few weeks we’ll address that issue,” Mougey continued. He may be on the team now, but it sure doesn’t look like the Jets plan to keep him on the team much longer. The Jets could be letting Adams find a trade partner to recoup some value from the 32-year-old, but otherwise it seems likely that he’ll get walking papers from the Jets despite a 85/1,063/8 receiving line in 14 games in 2024. Adams is not the same player he was four years ago, but he hasn’t lost enough steps to fall out of the No. 1 wideout conversation for most of the league just yet. He’s been rumored to want to go join a West Coast team.

Adams was never expected to be long for the Jets if the team decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers. In light of FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reporting the Jets would move on from Rodgers, Rapoport is now saying that his sources believe Adams and the Jets will be heading for a split. Rodgers’ presence in New York was the main reason the Jets dealt for him in the first place; both veterans could be free agents this offseason with a chance to join forces elsewhere for the 2025 season. Adams is reportedly interested in joining the Rams, Chargers, or 49ers. He’ll be 32 next season and is coming off a year in which he totaled 85-1063-8 in 14 games. He may not be the dominant No. 1 receiver we’ve seen in years past, but Adams could still make for a very strong No. 2 option for several teams.

Adams grew up in Northern California and attended Fresno State University, where he famously played with Derek Carr. Despite currently being on the same roster as his friend Aaron Rodgers, Fowler describes Adams’ $38.3 million cap hit for 2025 as “untenable” and something that will need to be addressed this offseason. If Rodgers remains a Jet, releasing Adams right after New York traded a conditional third-round pick for him doesn’t make a lot of sense. Perhaps a new contract could be the solution for a reunion with the Jets. Of the teams Fowler mentioned, the Rams and Chargers seem to have a more obvious need at wide receiver than the 49ers.

It was the allure of playing with Aaron Rodgers that drew Adams to the Jets in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick being sent to the Raiders. Adams hoped to do a little ring chasing with the Jets but instead found himself in another disastrous situation not all too unfamiliar from the one he left in Vegas. While the targets were aplenty (102) during his time in New York, he’s unlikely to have Rodgers throwing him passes again next season. From a production standpoint, Adams’s numbers were on par with what we saw last season. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth-straight season and averaged 0.0 YAC/REC – his highest mark since his rookie season. Adams is under contract through 2026, but could be on the move this offseason if the right team comes calling. While his best years are likely behind him, Adams may still have one or two top-24 fantasy seasons in him.

Adams briefly left the game in the third quarter, apparently while dealing with his ongoing hip injury. He still looked fairly explosive, but the Jets passing offense went nowhere until Tyrod Taylor came on. He’ll be on the WR2 line if he gets off the injury report next week against the Dolphins.

He’ll profile as a low-end WR1 in your fantasy finals. Most of New York’s big line of questionable players are in for the game, including Sauce Gardner (hamstring), Quinnen Williams (hamstring), Haason Reddick (neck), and Morgan Moses (knee). Inactive for the Jets are: CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse, EDGE Braiden McGregor, K Anders Carlson, S Jaylin Simpson, CB Kendall Sheffield, and CB Qwan’tez Stiggers.

As Schefter notes, there is no way Adams is going to miss a chance to catch Aaron Rodgers’ 500th career touchdown pass. He has already come down with No. 200 and No. 400. Adams was held out of practice on Thursday but returned for a limited session on Friday before being listed as questionable. One practice is typically enough to keep a veteran in the lineup, and that appears to be the case this week. Adams is a low-end WR1 for his Week 17 date with the Bills.