FOXBORO — All-Pro Davante Adams reportedly told the Raiders that he would prefer to be traded this season, and the Patriots are among the most wide receiver-needy teams in the NFL.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that he has not spoken to executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf about pursuing Adams in a trade, however.
“Yeah, look, the scouting department is on top of all of that stuff,” Mayo said. “I have not had conversations with Eliot in those regards.”
Team sources would be surprised if the Patriots pursued Adams in a trade. The Patriots have not shown interest in pursuing older, short-term fixes at any positions since the start of the 2024 league year in March.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders are open to trading Adams for a second-round pick and “additional compensation.”
Adams will be 32 years old in December and is signed through the 2026 season. He’s due $13.5 million more in 2024 and $86 million over three years.
The six-time Pro Bowl selection and three-year All-Pro has 18 catches for 209 yards with a touchdown in four games this season. He caught 103 passes for 1,144 yards with eight touchdowns in 2023.
The Patriots are getting wide receiver Kendrick Bourne back off of the PUP list this week and already have rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte on their 53-man roster.
Adams would be the Patriots’ best wide receiver, but they should be looking for long-term solutions. They’ll head into the offseason with pressing needs at wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, center, defensive tackle, defensive end and cornerback.
Trading away a second-round pick for a 31-year-old wide receiver when that pick could be used to draft and develop doesn’t make sense for a team like the Patriots that isn’t going to be competitive this season anyway.
