Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It’s never too late for the Kansas City Chiefs to add an elite receiver to their youthful group of pass catchers. That’s why Curtis Leung of Last Word On Sports believes the defending Super Bowl champions could be in play for a rare blockbuster trade proposal between division rivals.
Leung named the Chiefs as one of five potential trade destinations for Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro receiver, Davante Adams.
“The Kansas City Chiefs are another interesting destination for Adams to be traded to. Kansas City currently have Travis Kelce as their primary target for Patrick Mahomes. That is an all-time partnership. However, if they want to preserve Kelce, they will need to find other avenues to channel their offense,” Leung wrote on May 20.
“Adding Adams to Andy Reid’s explosive Chiefs offense would add another layer.”
Davante Adams a Future Hall of Famer
Davante Adams, 30, was a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2014. During his eight seasons in Green Bay, he accumulated 8,121 receiving yards on 669 receptions and had 87 receiving touchdowns according to Pro Football Reference. He was named a Pro Bowler five times and an All-Pro twice during his tenure with the Packers.
On March 17, 2022, the Packers traded Adams to the Raiders in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and a second-round pick. Las Vegas then handed Adams a five-year, $140 million extension, which included $65.6 million in guarantees according to Over The Cap.
During his first season in Las Vegas, Adams registered 100 receptions on 180 targets for 1,516 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. The result of his production was a third-straight All-Pro nod and a fifth-straight Pro Bowl nod.
Despite a high level of production, Adams is being brought up in potential trade scenarios this offseason because of recent comments he made about the Raiders.
During an interview with The Ringer, Adams said that his vision of what the Raiders need to be moving forward isn’t the same as what the organization has in mind.
“[The front office] think this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent,” Adams told The Ringer on May 16. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.”
Though he did try to show support for the Raiders after that comment by posting a picture of himself with Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler which was captioned, “The man,” folks seem to think a potential trade could be on the horizon for Adams, though it doesn’t seem plausible given his current contract situation.
Davante Adams Not a Strong Trade Candidate
Despite what the narrative might currently be regarding Davante Adams’ feelings toward the Raiders, it would be very difficult for Kansas City’s AFC West rivals to move the All-Pro receiver via trade.
Adams has a $14.7 million cap hit in 2023. But in 2024, his cap hit rises to $25.3 million, and in 2025 it goes up to $44.1 million according to Over The Cap. The cap hits for 2024 and 2025 are extremely large for any receiver, no matter how talented they are. Tack on the fact that Adams is in his 30s, and those reasons alone make him an undesirable trade candidate.
For all of those reasons, along with the fact that the Chiefs are in the same division as the Raiders and are currently over the cap, the defending Super Bowl champions trading for Adams will likely never happen (which Curtis Leung also stated in his article).