Diontae, Hopkins, Mike Williams Top Landing Spots After Davante Adams Trade to Jets

Tuesday was quite the day to be a notable wide receiver on the NFL trade market.

First, the Las Vegas Raiders traded Davante Adams to the New York Jets, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted the Jets gave up a conditional third-round draft pick that can become a second-rounder.

Then, the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a third-round pick and a seventh-round pick, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

They may not be the only receivers moved ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

Players such as DeAndre Hopkins, Diontae Johnson and Mike Williams are all on teams that could either look to accelerate a rebuild with a trade or that don’t have as much room for them. Teams that were previously interested in receivers such as Adams and Cooper should also be interested in one of these options.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Saturday that the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers remained in contact with the Raiders regarding a potential Adams trade.

Part of the Saints’ interest figured to be based on the connection between Adams and Derek Carr since they were college teammates, but the Steelers still remain as a top landing spot for the other potential trade candidates at the wide receiver position.

So do the Kansas City Chiefs, who need more depth at receiver given their injuries.

Best Fit: Kansas City Chiefs

It is a testament to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and a strong defense that the Chiefs are still 5-0 despite a number of injuries to their offensive skill-position players.

Running back Isiah Pacheco and wide receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown are all sidelined with long-term injuries. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions may need additional help on offense to win a third straight Lombardi Trophy.

Enter Johnson.

Kansas City has a speedster who can beat defenders deep with rookie Xavier Worthy, while Kelce remains as Mahomes’ safety valve over the middle of the field. What it needs is a polished route-runner who can capitalize on the openings created by the additional attention Kelce and Worthy receive. Johnson fits the bill as someone who can beat defenders deep or in space while adding another dimension to the offense.

Even while playing on a struggling Carolina Panthers team, Johnson still has 29 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns through six games. He could be a significant red-zone threat for Mahomes, and he’s accustomed to playing in the AFC playoff race from his time on the Steelers.

As for the Panthers, any draft-pick compensation could help in what is shaping up to be a long rebuilding process.

Best Fit: Pittsburgh Steelers

It is no secret the Steelers would like to add another receiver.

In addition to their reported interest in Adams, they were connected to Brandon Aiyuk before the San Francisco 49ers signed him to a long-term deal. The AFC North team is off to a solid start at 4-2, but the need for another impact receiver remains.

After all, George Pickens is the only wide receiver with more than 10 catches on the season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth (22) and running back Najee Harris (14) are second and third on the team in receptions, respectively. Pittsburgh needs another game-changer on the outside for quarterback Justin Fields.

There have even been some question marks about Pickens, as he played reduced snaps in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was fined for an explicit message on his eye black. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reported “Pickens has shown up late for work on multiple occasions this season.”

Given that situation, the Steelers could use a veteran leader in the wide receiver room.

Hopkins can be just that as a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro who is in his 12th season in the league. He has 14 catches for 175 yards and one touchdown in five games this season despite poor quarterback play from Will Levis on the Tennessee Titans and could benefit from a change of scenery.

Trading for him would give the Steelers a veteran leader and a much-needed go-to option on offense.

Best Fit: Dallas Cowboys

The addition of Adams could leave Williams on the outside looking in for the Jets. Schultz reported New York is “planning” to make him available via trade after acquiring Adams in part because “the current receiver room is just too crowded.”

The combination of Adams, Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Breece Hall and Braelon Allen figure to see more opportunities than Williams moving forward. Rodgers also just threw him under the bus after a game-losing interception from Monday’s game against the Bills.

Williams has just 10 catches for 145 yards and zero touchdowns through six games, but he went over 1,000 yards twice during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers. He also led the NFL with 20.4 yards per reception in 2019 and could be a deep-ball threat for the right team.

He hasn’t been the same yet this season as he bounces back from the torn ACL that limited him to just three games in 2023, but a change of scenery could help.

The Dallas Cowboys could also use a change after Sunday’s blowout 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. They aren’t exactly loaded with proven options at wideout outside of CeeDee Lamb.

Williams could be an ideal deep threat who could take advantage of the single coverage he would see basically any time he was on the field with opposing defenses focusing so much of their attention on slowing Lamb and accounting for tight end Jake Ferguson.

He wouldn’t be a season-altering addition, but the veteran could provide a much-needed boost for a struggling Cowboys team.