Sports
New York Jets Jets Might Be Too Flawed for Davante Adams to Save Them
Like me, you may have spent your Sunday morning watching Aaron Rodgers throw three interceptions and 22 more incomplete passes for the Jets in London. You may have seen Rodgers’ throws glide off the fingertips of almost every pass-catcher in a New York uniform as they still managed to mount a half-hearted comeback in a 23-17 loss to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.
I wonder if Davante Adams found himself on his couch, nursing that balky hamstring, watching this same game. Maybe he was keeping tabs on his former quarterback and the team in green and white and thinking to himself, “Yeah… these are my guys. I can work with this.”
The sinking Las Vegas Raiders are apparently ready to move on from Adams, with coach Antonio Pierce adding to the drama every step of the way. Adams, who long maintained publicly that he wanted to stay in Vegas, is now open to a trade, too.
The usual insiders have reported that trade talks “should ramp up over the next 48 hours” and that Adams would prefer a landing spot with a quarterback he’s played with before — the 2-3 Jets and Rodgers, or the New Orleans Saints and Derek Carr.
The Raiders may be able to start a bidding war pitting not only the Jets and Saints, but also other interested teams against each other. After all, a star like Adams makes any team better.
But New York is hardly guaranteed to get that much better if it pulls off the move. Of the Jets’ myriad of problems, the amount of wide receiver talent ranks pretty low, for a change.
Full disclosure here: I’m a Jets fan, reasonably young but still of the “long-suffering” variety. (If you think there’s some sort of ethical problem with me writing about this team in a professional capacity, well, if Jets fan Rich Eisen was allowed to do play-by-play for the London game, I think I’m within my rights to criticize them.)
There are several points we can make in favor of a Jets trade for Adams. Rodgers and Adams have connected on 76 touchdowns between the regular season and playoffs in an eight-year marriage in Green Bay, tied for fifth most by a quarterback-receiver duo in league history. The Jets still have faint playoff hopes because the AFC East is weaker than expected, with the Buffalo Bills at 3-2 but suddenly looking vulnerable and the Miami Dolphins feeling around in the dark without a solid quarterback.
And as hard as the past few years (or decades) have been on fans of this team, just saying “we can’t have nice things” doesn’t mean you don’t try. I saw this attitude in 2020 from antagonists of the Jets as well as some supposed fans — it went like, “Why get excited about the chance to land Trevor Lawrence? We’ll just find a way to ruin him too.” I get that this organization inspires nihilism in people, but that worldview frankly sucks.
That said, the Jets aren’t one star receiver away from a Super Bowl, just as, lo and behold, they weren’t one aging future Hall of Famer at quarterback away from becoming unstoppable. Rodgers threw two of his three interceptions on Sunday in the first quarter alone, both on pretty bad decisions, not flukes or tipped balls.
The Jets already banked so much on Rodgers transforming them. They installed his preferred offensive coordinator and signed another former Packer teammate, Allen Lazard, at receiver. (Don’t forget a very washed Randall Cobb in 2023!) Then why is the guy’s cadence and timing with his teammates so clearly off, and why would one more familiar face make that disappear?
The other big issue is that coach Robert Saleh hasn’t had the Jets prepared, seen at its worst in an ugly 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4. So it doesn’t help when Rodgers is also utterly predictable with who he wants to throw to. He forced an unwise pass to his buddy Lazard in the red zone on Sunday before Lazard eventually scored, and he tried another extremely low-percentage shot to Tyler Conklin in double coverage at the goal line.
There’s a universe where the Jets right the ship. Maybe it’s with Adams and maybe it’s not, but most of the middle part of their schedule is eminently beatable except for the Houston Texans. Tons would have to go right — the running game has to rank better than 32nd in a 32-team league, and someone would need to wave a magic wand over an offensive line that’s barely holding things together.
Mortgaging more of your future to pair Adams with your 40-year-old quarterback doesn’t paper over those problems. And it would make ultimately missing the playoffs hurt the fans twice as much.
Sports
Pirates wreck Reds; tie MLB record for consecutive walks
May 2, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Home plate umpire Willie Traynow keeps Cincinnati Reds second baseman Sal Stewart (27) away from Pittsburgh Pirates cvatcher Henry Davis after he was nearly hit by the ball during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images The host Pittsburgh Pirates scored 15 runs in the first four innings and took advantage of record wildness by the Cincinnati Reds to roll to a 17-7 victory on Saturday.
Rookie Konnor Griffin doubled, tripled and went 4-for-5 while driving in two, while Ryan O’Hearn doubled and drove in three as the top eight hitters in the Pirates lineup each had at least one hit while seven batters had at least two hits.
Pittsburgh also drew seven consecutive walks in the second inning — tying a major league record set in 1909 and equaled in 1983. The Pirates scored five runs in the second without a hit, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat since 1994.
Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (2-2) was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst. He struck out a career-high 10 while scattering eight hits, two walks and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.
Will Benson and JJ Bleday homered and Nathaniel Lowe drove in three runs for the Reds, who trailed 15-3 after four innings. Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder (3-2) surrendered eight runs, five hits and four walks before being removed with one out in the second.
Since losing 2-0 to Cincinnati in their first meeting on March 30, Pittsburgh has won the last four by a combined 42-14 score.
For a second straight day, the game was played in raw conditions, with a game-time temperature of 43 degrees.
Lowder appeared miserable in the cold and struggled badly early. He was unable to find his rhythm or command while allowing four runs before there were two outs in the first inning. The five runs allowed in the first were a career high for the right-hander.
Lowder labored through 30 pitches in the first as O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna and Griffin each doubled in the five-run outburst. Lowder then walked the bases loaded in the second before being pulled.
Reliever Connor Phillips came in and walked all four Pirates he faced to force in four runs. He left after throwing just five of his 21 pitches for strikes.
The last time seven straight walks were issued in a Major League game came on May 25, 1983, when three Pirates pitchers walked seven in a row at Atlanta in a 6-0 Braves win.
The five runs without a hit in the second happened for the first time since April 27, 1994, when the Seattle Mariners allowed five runs to the New York Yankees in the top of the third inning.
With the score 15-6, Pittsburgh reliever Chris Devenski was ejected for throwing inside near the ribcage of Sal Stewart to open the seventh. Stewart took exception and stared out at the mound. But the encounter did not escalate as umpires intervened.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Max Meyer, 2 relievers hold Phillies to 1 hit
May 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer (23) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Max Meyer only allowed one hit in seven shutout innings and Xavier Edwards homered in the host Miami Marlins’ 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday
Meyer (2-0) faced one over the minimum number of batters with a walk and seven strikeouts in the longest start of his career. He threw 55 strikes in 83 pitches.
Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi each retired the side in order in the combined one-hitter.
Otto Lopez and Edwards each had two hits with a run and an RBI and Connor Norby was 2-for-3 with a run batted in for the Marlins, who evened the four-game series at one win each.
Garrett Stubbs got the lone hit for the Phillies, who had their four-game winning streak under interim manager Don Mattingly snapped. Kyle Schwarber was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and has struck out in all eight at-bats over his last two games, tying a career high for consecutive strikeouts.
Philadelphia right-hander Andrew Painter (1-3) gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.
The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the third on consecutive bases-loaded, two-out walks to Agustin Ramirez and Norby.
It was the second straight inning Miami loaded the bases with one out with three consecutive singles. In the second, Painter got Graham Pauley on a foul out and struck out Esteury Ruiz swinging to end the inning.
Edwards’ one-out solo homer in the fifth made it 3-0. He drove Painter’s 1-1 four-seam fastball into the right-field stands for his second home run.
Lopez’s infield single with two outs in the sixth increased the Marlins’ advantage to 4-0.
Stubbs singled in the third with one out and was erased on an inning-ending double play.
Justin Crawford was scratched from the Phillies’ lineup because of a migraine.
Philadelphia also activated catcher J.T, Realmuto from the 10-day injured list (back spasms) earlier Saturday and designated Dylan Moore for assignment. Realmuto was hitless in three at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kelvin Yeboah nets brace as Minnesota rallies past Crew
Columbus Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki (25) attempts to block the shot of Minnesota United FC forward Tomás Chancalay (8) in the first half of the MLS match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Kelvin Yeboah’s brace and a goal and an assist by Anthony Markanich keyed a 15-minute second-half comeback as Minnesota United defeated the host Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday.
Markanich broke a 2-2 tie in the 74th minute off a throw-in when he scored on a header off a cross by Nectarios Triantis.
After Taha Habroune in the 31st and Hugo Picard in the 56th staked the Crew to a 2-0 lead, Yeboah scored from corner-kick setups in the 59th and 66th minutes as Minnesota (6-3-2, 20 points) moved to 5-1-1 in their past seven matches.
The Crew (3-5-3, 12 points) had won two straight and looked to be cruising until their collapse, falling to 2-2-2 at home.
Habroune, the 20-year-old Homegrown player, worked a give-and-go in tight space with Max Arfsten at the top right corner of the box for his second career goal in 33 matches.
Arfsten heeled the ball to Habroune, who rocketed a shot to the upper right corner. Arfsten has three goals and four assists in the past seven matches.
Picard scored his first career goal in his 19th MLS match after having scored four goals in two U.S. Open Cup matches this season, including two vs. USL One club One Knoxville on Wednesday.
He scored on a rebound of his own shot that was blocked by Loons defender Jefferson Diaz.
The Minnesota rally started when Yeboah slid between two defenders and right-footed a flick by Markanich.
Yeboah made it 2-2 when he had an open header from a corner kick by Joaquin Pereyra. Of Yeboah’s seven goals, five have come on the road where the Loons are 4-2-1.
Minnesota’s Colombian international midfielder James Rodriguez did not play due to “a previously scheduled routine medical procedure — not related to any injury,” according to the club. He practiced Friday morning and will rejoin the team next week.
–Field Level Media
