Steelers Trade Proposal Sends Raiders Draft Capital for Davante Adams

Getty A Pittsburgh Steelers beat reporter pitched a trade proposal for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

Davante Adams is the talk of the NFL community after the October 1 news that both the Las Vegas Raiders and the superstar wide receiver are now open to a trade — and the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to be one of the potential suitors.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in trading for Davante Adams, according to a source,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on October 2. “There have been discussions and both sides are keeping an open line of communication.”

Adams has also been linked to former quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr, who now play for the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, among other WR-needy teams.

So, what might it take for the Steelers to land Adams? The Athletic’s Pittsburgh correspondent Mike DeFabo pitched a reasonable trade proposal on October 2.

• Steelers get: WR Davante Adams.
• Raiders get: A 2025 second-round pick.

“The Steelers’ need at receiver is obvious,” DeFabo reasoned after suggesting the second-round trade return. “Before the season, Pittsburgh nearly traded for Brandon Aiyuk, even though it would have meant giving up significant compensation and then paying the receiver more than star defender T.J. Watt. Having missed out on Aiyuk, the Steelers have been hurting for quality depth at the position. Pittsburgh receivers not named George Pickens have combined for 19 catches for 226 yards through four games.”

The reporter added that while “the Raiders might want a second-round pick and more, GM Omar Khan has shown he’s a firm negotiator who will not move far off his initial offer.”

As a secondary option, DeFabo also suggested that the Steelers could throw in third-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III along with a second- or third-round selection in 2025, depending on the other offers Las Vegas receives.

How Would Davante Adams’ Salary Fit Into Steelers Plans?

DeFabo addressed Adams’ salary during this article as well.

“As for Adams’ contract, Khan made a name for himself finding creative ways to manipulate the salary cap,” he wrote. “Should the Steelers acquire Adams, they’d likely find some way to restructure his deal to make it more team-friendly.”

Per Over the Cap, Adams has three years left on his five-year, $140 million contract that he signed with the Raiders in 2022 (including the 2024 season).

Assuming Las Vegas doesn’t help with his salary, Adams only has a cap hit of $25.35 million in 2024, but that number balloons to $44.1 million in 2025 and $45.1 million in 2026.

Having said that, there are potential “outs” built into this deal so long as Khan doesn’t restructure it. The Steelers can shed $36.25 million next year by designating Adams as a post-June 1 cut, but they’d probably only go this route if the trade were to somehow blow up in their face.

The more likely contract “out” would be available in 2026, when Pittsburgh can save $37.25 million by releasing Adams prior to June 1.

Jets Could Be Steelers Top Competition for Davante Adams

At the bottom of The Athletic’s article discussing Davante Adams trade packages, Raiders beat writer Tashan Reed predicted the superstar’s eventual landing spot.

“The Raiders are in no rush to trade Adams,” Reed began. “If they don’t receive an offer they like, they’ll have no issue waiting until the Nov. 5 trade deadline to make a decision. If there’s no good offer on the table at that point, they could even drag things out into the offseason.”

He went on to note that the “two most attractive offers” for Las Vegas were that of the Steelers (DeFabo) and the Jets (NYJ beat reporter Zack Rosenblatt) — who offered 2025 third- and fifth-round picks and a 2026 fourth-round pick in this hypothetical scenario.

Of course, the Jets also have Rodgers as their trump card, since Adams has expressed interest in reuniting with his former QB once again.

After acknowledging that Adams could “create leverage” for himself by refusing to restructure his contract with the Steelers — in an attempt to force a trade to the Jets — Reed concluded that Pittsburgh’s offer makes the most sense for the Raiders.

“Barring Adams making things ugly, the Raiders would take the Steelers’ offer,” he wrote. “It’d make them worse this season but, between the cap space saved and the draft capital gained, they would set themselves up to have a deeper cache of resources to improve down the line. For a team likely to find itself in the quarterback market once again next offseason, that’ll come in handy.”