Davante Adams-Aaron Rodgers reunion? Why the Jets should think it over real well before making trade

Ever since he arrived in New York himself last spring, Aaron Rodgers has been talking about bringing Davante Adams here to join him. Most of the comments have been silly off-the-cuff remarks that sounded more like fantastical wishing than actual football acumen, but at their heart was a clear purpose by Rodgers to try to manifest a reunion with his favorite receiver.

Now it seems as if it might actually happen.

Adams has requested a trade from the Raiders and his preferred landing spot is reportedly the Jets.

It seems like a no-brainer for the Jets to make that happen, to improve the offense, to make Rodgers happy and to pile one more egg into this 2024 basket of a season that will end in glory or yolky gore and nowhere in between for the coaching staff and front office. Heck, there is even a chance they can unload Haason Reddick and rid themselves of that troubled trade in the process. What’s not to love?

But general manager Joe Douglas needs to pause and think long and hard before going through with this blockbuster. There could be some very serious ramifications for the franchise from the acquisition, including some that may ripple for years after Rodgers and Adams, both nearing their expiration dates as players, have moved on as NFL players.

At various times throughout this season the Jets have described Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson as the “centerpiece” of their offense. If and when Adams arrives, that all changes. It changes for everyone currently on the team. Mike Williams and Allen Lazard get dropped down on the depth chart. Rookie Malachi Corley gets fewer reps than the pittance he currently sees. And even Wilson would become something he has never experienced in his NFL career: A number two.

Wilson is already showing signs of frustration with the way he is being deployed and hasn’t quite connected with Rodgers the way many had hoped he would. Do the Jets really want to add another element to that drama? Hall, too, doesn’t seem to have found his footing in Rodgers’ orbit. Should the Jets disrupt that further? Those are the two players drafted as part of the stellar 2022 class — one of the things Douglas has done right during his time here — and they figured to be part of the long-term vision of the organization. They are also nearing the ends of their rookie contracts. Making them feel happy and appreciated now is just as much part of future negotiations as the millions of dollars that will be put on the table later.

Speaking of money, Adams won’t come cheaply. While there is a chance the Raiders will have to pick up at least some of his salary this season in any swap, he is due about $13 million for the rest of this season. The Jets can swing that with about $15 million in cap space, but Adams also has two more years remaining on his deal after this one. His arrival would probably require an eventual restructuring. That could squeeze Wilson or Hall or Sauce Gardner out when it comes time to ink them to long-term deals that just a few months ago seemed inevitable.

Here's yet another reason to pump the brakes on Adams: Don’t the Jets have bigger needs? Reddick’s situation remains unresolved without any glimmer of a solution that puts him on the field for this team and Jermaine Johnson is recovering from Achilles surgery so the Jets need to improve their pass rush before they worry about their pass catchers.

Their offensive line is hanging together by a very thin margin with veteran left tackle Tyron Smith rarely practicing, right tackle Morgan Moses already sidelined by a knee injury and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker popping up on this week’s injury report with an ankle.

Edge rusher Will McDonald and offensive lineman Olu Fashanu, the team’s last two first-round picks, have yet to prove they are capable of carrying both of those position groups by themselves.

None of these by themselves will prevent the Jets from making this move, but together they should at least force Douglas to consider walking away and saying no. Myopic decisions are not what these Jets need.

Then again, if the Jets lose to the Vikings on Sunday and return from London as a 2-3 team, what exactly would he be trying to preserve? Acquiring Adams could be his last chance to make the career-saving experiment of bringing Rodgers to the Jets work out.

If it does he’ll be the hero, a made man for life in Jets lore.

If it doesn’t, well, it will all probably be somebody else’s problem to clean it up anyway.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.