Ranking possible Davante Adams landing spots after Jets release veteran WR
One day after the top pending free agent wide receiver was taken off of the market, a new one has risen to take his place.
The Bengals franchise tagged Tee Higgins for a second straight year on Monday. On Tuesday, the Jets released veteran wide receiver Davante Adams.
With Higgins staying in Cincinnati, Adams, an 11-year NFL veteran, immediately will become the top free-agent receiver on the market. He'll be free to sign with any team when the new league year begins in just over one week.
Here are the teams that could be the best landing spots for Adams in free agency this offseason:
NFL free agency 2025: Davante Adams landing spots
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are in clear need of wide receiver help in their second year with head coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles' rushing offense – led by pending free agent J.K. Dobbins – and defense were enough to get the team to the playoffs, but the Chargers were quickly bounced in the wild-card round. Adams would be a perfect option to pair with rising star Ladd McConkey and quarterback Justin Herbert in a Chargers offense that needs help on the outside.
New York Giants
The Giants are the odds-on favorite to be quarterback Aaron Rodgers' next team, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Given Adams' affinity for the veteran gunslinger, that alone could be a reason for the 32-year-old receiver to end up playing for his former team's "crosstown" rival. Outside of that though, the Giants could use a veteran receiver to pair with their rising star on the outside, Malik Nabers. Whoever ends up playing quarterback for Big Blue in 2025 would have a nice pair of leading pass-catchers to work with, not to mention a solid running back in Tyrone Tracy Jr., too.
New England Patriots
The Patriots enter the offseason with a clear vision. They've hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach, brought back Josh McDaniels to serve as their offensive coordinator, and seem to have found their franchise quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. In addition, New England has the most cap space to work with this offseason when it comes to free agency. The team will need to put that money to good use to build up an offensive support system around Maye. Adams is a really nice fit here – not just because of his talent and veteran presence, but also because he's worked with McDaniels before when the two were still in Las Vegas.
Green Bay Packers
Could a homecoming for Adams be on the table? The team that drafted the former Fresno State product back in 2014 was reportedly looking for veteran wide receiver help at the combine last week. One Seahawks beat reporter said Green Bay made an offer for receiver DK Metcalf to help shore up their passing offense in the wake of Christian Watson's late-season ACL injury. Now that Adams is a free agent, the Packers could choose to reunite with one of their franchise's most prolific receivers to get that aid on the outside in a wide receivers room that's on the younger side.
Los Angeles Rams
A report from NFL Network indicated that Adams, who is a Palo Alto native, is hoping to move back to the West Coast now that he's a free agent. Well, the Rams are a West Coast team that is preparing to trade one star wide receiver in Cooper Kupp. If Los Angeles has the cap space to make a move for another talented veteran following their contract extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford, the team will surely look into signing Adams to replace Kupp and pair with Puka Nacua on the outside.
(A note for 49ers fans: San Francisco general manager John Lynch said in a press conference at the combine that he is looking to "get younger" as a team and spend less money. Signing Adams does not fit those philosophies, and the team has already traded veteran wideout Deebo Samuel to clear space as quarterback Brock Purdy's extension looms.)
Honorable mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos
Adams told "Up & Adams" host Kay Adams that he'd like to play for Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, saying, "I love Mike. Anytime you have a coach that's a players coach and you can tell that they've got a way with their guys, those types of coaches, whether they coach me or not, they always win me over." The Steelers could use extra receiver help to have play across from George Pickens and provide an extra pass-catching weapon for whichever quarterback remains in Pittsburgh.
Quarterback Bo Nix had an excellent rookie season passing to Courtland Sutton, but he could use a strong No. 2 option in the passing offense. Denver falls in the middle of the pack when it comes to cap space, and if the team likes its options in the draft (*cough*, tight ends and running backs, *cough*), spending some of that cash on a talented veteran wideout like Adams could really benefit its passing offense.