It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are nothing short of desperate for a second wide receiver. When rumbles of Davante Adams being unhappy with the Las Vegas Raiders began to circulate, Steelers fans were the first to clamor for a trade.
After failing to secure a deal for Brandon Aiyuk, surely the Steelers would sell the farm for a player such as Adams.
It didn't come to be, as Adams was traded to his preferred destination to play for the New York Jets alongside his old quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
When the Steelers host the New York Jets on Sunday night, much of the storyline will revolve around Rodgers getting one of his favorite targets back and how the Steelers missed out on Adams in the trade discussions. But it's not the Steelers who missed out, it's Adams.
Davante Adams missed the chance to land with a winning organization
See, the Jets are 2-4, directly opposed to the Steelers' 4-2 record. Should the Steelers win their Week 7 matchup against the Jets, New York finds itself in an even greater predicament.
With Adams basically being a one-year rental with an absurd contract alongside the uncertainty of Rodgers's retirement plans after the 2024 season, the Jets have put themselves in a bind. Similarly, Adams is no closer to playing in a Super Bowl than he was in Las Vegas.
Despite the potential of the Jets as AFC contenders, they are performing no better than they did last year, and now with Robert Saleh fired, there's little reason to believe the Jets will take this thing all the way.
Sure, once Adams joins the lineup, New York will enjoy a spark and an extra win or two, but the Jets aren't suddenly going to join the Steelers at the top of the AFC race. While playing with Rodgers boosts his chances of making a deep playoff run more than the Raiders, the Steelers have already begun the season in a position to make more noise than the Jets in that regard.
Steelers' wide receiver problems remain
As for Pittsburgh, the Steelers have their own offensive problems, problems that would be alleviated with another wide receiver. Of course, those issues wouldn't be completely resolved whether they successfully traded for Adams or not.
While it would have been nice to see Adams wear the Black & Gold, Omar Khan, and the front office are likely taking relief that they won't have to face that headache this offseason. They can turn their attention to more affordable trade options, both in contract and trade compensation.
Khan knows the art of the deal. His trades have left the Steelers in a better position much more often than not. The willpower to not overspend for Adams is somewhat admirable, especially after not completing a trade for Brandon Aiyuk.
In terms of Aiyuk, the Steelers appear to have dodged a bullet. Once the Jets fail to reach their own lofty expectations - even with the addition of Adams - it'll become clear that the Steelers dodged that bullet as well.
The rest of the season has to play out. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in seven years and their goal is to to move past that stink. All told, at this point in the season, Pittsburgh has a greater chance of reaching their goals compared to the Jets even after the trade.