Quentin Lake establishes clear stance on Rams' A.J. Brown trade chatter

Not long ago, the Los Angeles Rams reportedly explored pulling off a blockbuster trade for then-Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. Naturally, questions surrounding Davante Adams' future emerged.

Adams makes up one half of what is arguably the NFL's premier wideout duo, alongside Puka Nacua. Yet the Rams at least flirted with the idea of moving off him in favor of Brown earlier this offseason. Should they have pulled the trigger?

The debate officially became water under the bridge once the New England finally acquired Brown, as many expected. For what it's worth, Rams safety Quentin Lake never saw replacing Adams with Brown as an upgrade.

"I don't think [Brown's] better than Davante, though, personally," Lake said during a recent appearance on The Arena podcast. And that's far from all he had to say.

Lake not convinced Rams would benefit from Adams-Brown trade

Fortunately for Lake, the Brown ship has sailed. But it's still noteworthy to hear a member of the LA locker room openly weigh in on the matter with such conviction.

It is questionable whether Adams, who's entering his age-34 campaign, is more effective than a soon-to-be 29-year-old Brown at this stage of their careers. Either way, the talent gap isn't large, and Lake gives the benefit of the doubt to the league's reigning and three-time receiving touchdown leader.

"Has [Brown] ever led the NFL in receiving touchdowns?" Lake posed. "That's my thing. [Adams has] done it multiple times. So that's another point of conversation, too. It's like, 'Bro, you've never done that.' Davante has said, 'I've done that before. I've done that multiple times.'"

At 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, it's fair to wonder if Brown could have similar success as an unstoppable red-zone force in Los Angeles. He has the physical tools and strength to be an elite goal-line receiver, as Adams has been throughout his illustrious career.

Be that as it may, Adams is pretty special in his own right. His track record speaks for itself.
There are levels to the game, as Lake's comments highlight. Adams has quite literally been the most productive pass-catcher of the past decade, pacing all players in receiving yards (12,187) and scores (114) since 2015.

Of course, Lake did not take the mic just to badmouth Brown, whom he called "fantastic." Far from it. Actually, despite Lake's stance, reporting around the situation suggests that Brown would have been the Rams' preferred choice. They were apparently "really close" to landing the ex-Eagle before he ultimately wound up in Foxborough, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Entering the second and final season of his two-year, $44 million contract, Adams' long-term outlook is murky. For now, though, getting Adams his first Super Bowl, the Rams' second of the Matthew Stafford era, is the top priority in Los Angeles. He's not going anywhere just yet.

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