3 reasons why Rams have made a big mistake by signing Davante Adams

Davante Adams is no longer a free agent. He is moving closer to home by signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

The New York Jets went into overdrive following Aaron Glenn’s appointment as the head coach. Glenn began spring cleaning by releasing Aaron Rodgers, and Adams soon followed him.

NFL insiders speculated Rodgers and Adams will be a package deal for another NFL team, but Adams’ agent, Frank Bauer, kept in touch with Rams head coach Sean McVay. On Sunday, the Rams shocked the league by signing Davante Adams to a two-year, $46 million deal.

Bauer revealed that Adams wanted to finish his career close to his home, as per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Agent Frank Bauer, who represents Davante Adams on Adams landing with the #Rams: "He is where he wanted to finish out his great career." True. https://t.co/WIt4y3CpAX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2025

Adams is from the west coast and starred for Fresno State in college before the Packers drafted him, and he moved to Wisconsin, then Vegas, and New Jersey.

Senior Rams beat writer Blaine Grisak had linked Adams to the Rams before the deal happened.

Adams wants to play on the west coast. That already narrows down the Rams as a suitor.

Blaine Grisak wrote

Grisak also noticed the Rams ended up paying double the market value of Adams of $27.2 million (Spotrac).

Rams might have overpaid for Davante Adams

As Grisak pointed out, the Rams invested double Adams’ market value. They had $44.37 million before the deal, and after the NFL increased the cap to $279.5 million for the 2025 season.

If the Rams had stuck by the original value, then they would still be looking at around $38 million of cap space instead of $32.6 million as per Over The Cap.

Signing WR Davante Adams is the type of 'all in' move that they needed to make. He was my #6 free agent fit for them.

Rams paid nearly double Adams' Spotrac market value. pic.twitter.com/YdVFrtfN0k

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) March 9, 2025

The Rams may have acquired an All-Pro caliber receiver, but at the same time, limited their spending potential for further additions from the free agency. They still have several players who will hit free agency if they don’t receive new contracts.

Players such as left tackle Alaric Jackson, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, edge rusher Michael Hoecht, linebacker Troy Reeder, Christian Rozeboom, offensive tackle Joe Noteboom, and wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Tutu Atwell, and Tyler Johnson are on the brink of testing free agency.

Rams can’t view Davante Adams as Cooper Kupp’s replacement

One of the biggest names who remains up for grabs is Cooper Kupp. The Rams allowed the veteran receiver to seek a trade partner, and after the addition of Adams, they might force him to get it done quicker than initially anticipated.

However, the question arises: is Kupp a direct replacement for Kupp? Adams is one year older than Kupp and stylistically a different player. Kupp specializes more as a slot receiver while Adams is a premier route runner. This will force McVay to recalibrate his plans for the 2025 season.

The one positive the Rams have in their favor is Matthew Stafford is staying for at least one more year. Stafford throwing to Adams sounds more intriguing than Kupp, who hasn’t recorded a 1000-yard campaign since his 1947-yard run in 2021 when the Rams won the Super Bowl.

Puka Nacua may see fewer passes

Despite making a mid-season move from the Raiders to the Jets in 2024, Adams crossed 1000 yards and 8 touchdowns in 14 games. However, the majority of those yards came at the expense of Garrett Wilson, who was unhappy with decreased red zone opportunities. According to Griask, Adams ranked 10th in the league for targets per route and 13th in yards after catch per reception.

The 6x Pro Bowler received more passes in and around the red zone while Wilson was fed more in the middle of the park. So even though Wilson recorded his best ever numbers since entering the NFL with 1104 yards and 7 touchdowns, without Adams on the team, it could have been even more.

Third-year receiver Puka Nacua might witness something similar. Nacua only played 11 games last season, adding 990 yards to his league total. He was supposed to take over as the WR1 with Kupp close to the exit, which is no longer the case, as Adams will undeniably be the main man for Stafford.

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