There are several big-name wide receivers whom LA Chargers fans want to see the team pursue this offseason. No name is more popular than former All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.
The Chargers' pursuit of Adams just got much easier thanks to the New York Jets. After several days of failed trade talks, which were expected, Adams has officially been released by the team that just traded for him during the 2024 season.
With Adams on the open market, there is a clear and obvious path for the former All-Pro to join the LA Chargers.
Chargers should be the favorites for Davante Adams after Jets release
The Chargers need a wide receiver and Adams is looking for a team with a star quarterback that can compete for a Super Bowl. It is a match made in heaven, and now that the cost is cheaper, the Chargers should be as interested as possible.
Adams has already shown a reported interest in playing in California next season and the Chargers are the obvious frontrunners among the teams in the Golden State.
The Los Angeles Rams are shopping Cooper Kupp and likely aren't in the position to pay another wide receiver over 30. The San Francisco 49ers have their own salary-cap issues and just traded him away for a fifth-round pick.
Adams theoretically could be a replacement option for Samuel or Kupp for either NFC West team, but it seems far more likely that a team with ample cap space (the Chargers) will spend to address an area of need.
The Chargers desperately need to add another wideout to play alongside Ladd McConkey and Adams would fit like a glove. Adams could be a boundary receiver who plays the X with McConkey spending most of his time in the slot.
Adams may no longer be in his prime but that is okay. McConkey has emerged as a legitimate WR1 after his rookie season. Adams would serve as an overqualified WR2, which is a great position to be in for the Chargers.
Best of all, the free-agency cost shouldn't be very high. While Adams will still warrant a somewhat sizeable deal, his contract is not going to come close to what he was getting from the Jets. If so, a desperate team would have traded a late-round pick for him.
Either way, Adams is officially on the market and it is hard to see another team having a better case to sign him than the Chargers. If the Chargers want Adams, they will likely get him.