Should the Commanders be interested in adding receiver Davante Adams?

It's not everyday the Washington Commanders are going to find a receiver coming off a 1,000-yard receiving season with 85 receptions available on the open market, but here we are.

Just days after agreeing to trade for San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, the Commanders and the rest of the NFL learned that receiver Davante Adams was also available to join another squad after he was released by the New York Jets on Tuesday.

Now, the 32-year-old receiver will have to make another career decision, and there are plenty of reasons he should want to go to Washington. But should the team share the same desire to team up?

New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

ADAMS' CAPITAL GAINS

A sub-five hour drive south from Jets headquarters is the Commanders' headquarters. For years it was a place that veterans and star players with several options often avoided going to.

Now, after just one year under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn's influence, Washington is a destination franchise once again.

For Adams, going to the Commanders would be a change in the way he's approached his career so far. Entering the league in 2014 he joined a roster with a Hall of Fame quarterback named Aaron Rodgers already on it, and his career blossomed.

In his first attempt to really take hold of his career, he forced he way to the Las Vegas Raiders, the team he grew up cheering for and where his friend and college teammate Derek Carr was the quarterback.

After one year together–a Pro Bowl season for Adams–Carr was off to play for the New Orleans Saints while the receiver was left to slowly grow to resent his decision.

He then forced his way out of Las Vegas and to the Jets where another friend was the quarterback. Rodgers and Adams tried to rejuvinate a stalled team through a midseason trade, but alas the dead in the water team was truly expired by the time the star receiver arrived.

Now, getting some control of his career back, there are thoughts he'll want to follow Rodgers wherever he goes–assuming he plays in 2025.

But the smart play for Adams would be to change course altogether and shed the friendship search for one that many veterans before him took. To go ring hunting is nothing shameful, and Adams' Hall of Fame resume is only missing that ever elusive Super Bowl win.

Signing with the team that came just two wins from it last season, despite not being friends with the quarterback, might be the best decision he could make.

New York Jets receiver Davante Adams. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

FITTING IN

The fit is an easy one for Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Adams plays longer than any other receiver on the Commanders' roster today and even with all the drama and mess that was 2024, he still produced over 1,000 yards and caught eight touchdown passes.

Talent isn't the question. Personality is.

Washington doesn't want divas, it wants teammates. It wants players who play to win, no matter the cost to themselves. If it takes blocking for 60 minutes and not getting a single catch, the Commanders want Adams to be okay with that. Because sometimes, that might be what it takes.

Adams' reputation–fair or not–is one of selfishness. A player who wants to get stats no matter the result of the game.

If he is in fact not that player, then the union could work. If he is, then we wouldn't expect to hear Washington being involved in any contract talks anytime soon.

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