When the Los Angeles Rams signed Davante Adams in free agency, they were hoping he could serve as the outside option the team has lacked in recent years.
Adams proved to be everything the Rams could have hoped for and more, leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns and helping them advance all the way to the NFC Championship Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks. In the offseason, there was chatter that Los Angeles could add another wide out and they were subsequently linked to Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown. As part of that, there were reports that they could be looking to trade Adams to replace him with the younger Brown.
Los Angeles was reportedly deep in the mix for Brown but have seemingly cooled on him the past couple of days. In an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN broke down what actually happened behind the scenes and why the Rams are ultimately moving forward with Adams:
“The Los Angeles Rams inquired about it, but they realized Davante Adams is still the best fit for them, and he had some guaranteed money that just locked in, so it looks like it’s going to be Puka and Davante Adams instead of Puka and A.J. Brown… I don’t know that [Adams] was being shopped, per se. I think it was more like, ‘We know Davante Adams is a great fit. He’s got one more year left on his deal. A.J. Brown has multiple years left and is a little younger. And he would be a good fit, as well.’ So I think they just explored it. Maybe there was a wacky world where GM Les Snead could’ve fit Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and A.J. Brown on the same roster. That seemed unlikely, especially with Puka – you have to pay him. He’s a year from free agency. I would assume they’re going to try to work that out and it’s going to be a massive number. So they had some challenges with all that. So I think if they were to do the A.J. Brown deal, they would have had to part with Davante, but Davante was so good last year. I don’t think they, at the end of the day, were eager to move on from Davante, by any stretch. They thought he was awesome. It was really more just like a math equation with the age and the money and the contract and all those things. And, you know, A.J. Brown would have been a fit just like Davante is. But I think if they had to pick between the two right now, I still think they might pick Davante, honestly, just because of how good he was last year.”
The logistics to getting Brown make a trade complicated as Adams is still under contract for 2026 while Puka Nacua will likely reset the wide receiver market with his upcoming extension. Philadelphia surely demands a lot in return in any trade involving Brown, adding another roadblock to a blockbuster trade.
Head coach Sean McVay definitely could find ways to get the most out of a player like Brown who excels down field against man coverage because of his size, speed and physicality. Adding Brown would have likely shifted McVay’s system a bit to cater to his strengths versus someone like Adams who relies on quick separation to get open.
Knowing how aggressive the Rams are, though, it would not be surprising to see them explore a trade later in the offseason if the Eagles come down on their asking price. Brown is a genuine difference-maker in the pass game and pairing him with Nacua would be a potential nightmare for opposing defenses.
However, Los Angeles should be perfectly content rolling into next season with Adams on the roster.
Matthew Stafford apologized to Davante Adams after NFC Championship loss
The Super Bowl has alluded Davante Adams who has yet to make an appearance in the championship game. Following the loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship, Matthew Stafford actually apologized to Adams for failing to get him to the Super Bowl.
