Davante Adams Trade Rumors Discussed Privately Between Rams' McVay and Star WR amid A.J. Brown Buzz

Having been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown earlier in the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams have also explored trades involving Davante Adams.

Speaking to reporters from the league meetings in Phoenix on Monday, Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed that he has had discussions with Adams letting him know they have at least had trade talks involving him.

McVay explained he kept Adams in the loop because of his belief that it's important to let players know what is going on.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on March 16 that the Rams and New England Patriots are considered two teams that engaged in discussions with the Philadelphia Eagles for Brown.

Rapoport added that if the Eagles do end up trading Brown, it would happen after June 1 because of how the dead cap money on his contract is structured.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Siranni both said at the league meetings that Brown remains a valued member of the organization, though neither one definitively came out saying he would be on the roster in 2026.

The idea of a Brown-Adams-Puka Nacua receiver trio is fun to think about on paper, but that would be a ton of resources for the Rams to invest in one position group when they already had the NFL's highest-scoring offense in the NFL last season.

It would seem the Rams also took themselves out of the Brown sweepstakes when they made a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for Trent McDuffie, then signing him to a four-year, $124 million extension.

The Rams are down to $21.1 million in effective cap space, which accounts for the top 51 players on the roster and incoming rookie contracts. Brown has a $23.4 million cap hit for the upcoming season.

Adams is entering the final year of his two-year, $44 million contract signed in March 2025. His cap number will jump $16 million from $12 million last season to $28 million in 2026.

Trading Adams would save the Rams $20 million against the cap, but there's no obvious replacement for him short of trading for a player like Brown on a team that's capable of winning a Super Bowl.

Adams' first season with the Rams was a resounding success. He finished with 789 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 14 games.

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The Rams are projected to return every key starter from their offense last season. It would seem like a safe bet that Adams will be part of the group opening the regular season in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers, but they are at least keeping options open if the right deal comes along.