Jamal Adams is the best safety in the NFL. He was drafted sixth overall in 2017 by the New York Jets. The LSU product is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro. Adams’ six and a half sacks were the most by a defensive back in franchise history and were only one and a half sacks shy of the NFL record set by Adrian Wilson in 2005 (Adams missed two games). Every offense’s worst nightmare, leading the Jets with 13 quarterback hits. The Jets have named him Curtis Martin team MVP two years in a row, an honor that can be claimed by only four players including Martin himself. Adams is also the first to claim the honor since Martin claimed it from 1999 to 2001.
Jamal Adams deserves to get paid. Is he worth the $20 million-plus a year he’s rumored to be seeking though? Today’s top-paid safeties don’t even make $15 million a year. The Jets say they want to make Adams a Jet for life, but they don’t seem motivated to sign Adams to any long term deals and why would they. From a business standpoint, it doesn’t make sense for the team. They still have him on contract, for much less, for the next two years. This has led to a lot of friction between the sides though and Adams has asked for a trade. His seven preferred destinations were the Ravens, Eagles, Cowboy, 49ers, Texans, Chiefs, and the Seahawks. Some of these teams seem a little more feasible than others to me, so let’s take a look at it…
Baltimore Ravens (Est 2020 Cap Space $-16,521,035)
Last year the Ravens expressed interest in Adams prior to the trade deadline, but instead got Marcus Peters. Reports claim they are still interested, but the price tag may be too steep. First, they have to come up with the first and third-round picks, then they are gonna have to give Adams a new contract. They already have Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark who had solid seasons helping the defense to rank third in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed per game. The addition of Adams could easily make this a Super Bowl-caliber defense and would easily make them a contender! If they can get past the hurdle of the price tag.
Philadelphia Eagles (Est 2020 Cap Space $3,064,083)
The Eagles often show up on a player’s list of destinations when they make trade requests, it’s a popular place. So it’s no surprise that Philadelphia showed up on Adams’ list. No doubt they could use Adams. The Eagles cut ties with Malcolm Jenkins this off-season and have replaced him with a hodgepodge of replaceable guys. Adams would elevate this defense to new heights, but would the Eagles pull the trigger on a trade like this? It’s hard to imagine. They have the cap room this season, but next season is a completely different story. Sitting at over $50 million-plus OVER the cap next season, the Eagles are in no place to be making moves for any All-Pro players. I doubt this is a likely destination, moving on.
Houston Texans (Est 2020 Cap Space $-922,362)
Texas is where Jamal Adams grew up. A trade to the Texans would be a nice homecoming for him and he’d make a nice defensive core with J.J. Watt, Zach Cunningham, and Justin Reid. It’s all a pipe dream, smoke, and wishful thinking. I’m going to reiterate to you the fact that the Jets are most likely seeking a first-round pick and probably at least a third in addition to that first-rounder as compensation for Adams. The Texans, however, don’t have a first or second-round pick. That’s going to make this a tough trade. I’ve read things about a player trade, but I can’t see it. Looks like a pairing of the Texans and Adams isn’t in the cards.
Dallas Cowboys (Est 2020 Cap Space $-9,465,957)
The Dallas Cowboys need a safety. They have Clinton-Dix on contract for one year and the backups Darian Thompson and Donavon Wilson, while solid, aren’t world-beaters. Xavier Woods is also entering the final year of his rookie deal. The problem I see is twofold. Ongoing negotiations with Dak Prescott, and Jerry Jones‘ tendency to devalue the safety position. With Prescott garnering all the attention in negotiations, it stands to reason, Jones isn’t going to want another big deal he’s gonna have to negotiate at the same time… especially on a position, he’s devalued for years. I mean, his last first-round safety pick was Roy Williams in 2002. I just don’t see it happening. Next!
Kansas City Chiefs (Est 2020 Cap Space $-17,115,634)
Holy cow, what a shocker. Adams wants to go to the reigning Super Bowl champs. I’m so surprised. If you haven’t detected it yet this is my sarcastic tone. If Adams were to come to Kansas City he would be a perfect fit. Adams could play the box, Tyrann Mathieu would play the slot, and Juan Thornhill would play deep. They don’t have a lot of cap space left this upcoming season so it could be really difficult to make a move for Adams. I don’t think this is the final destination for Jamal Adams.
San Francisco 49ers (Est 2020 Cap Space $-12,517,058)
A lot of noise has been made about this trade rumor. Deebo Samuel is using social media to express his desire that the 49ers trade for Adams, but I’m not convinced it makes the most sense. They still have contract negotiations with tight end George Kittle and something needs to be done about running back Raheem Mostert. There’s also the issue of Jaquiski Tartt. I’m not going to debate that Adams is a superior safety and would absolutely upgrade that secondary. Tartt does have his upside. He’s great at disrupting the pass. In the 13 games he played last season, only 19 big pass plays were allowed, the four games he was out, it was 15! He’s also going to be motivated by the fact he’s playing for a new contract. I think the 49ers will be just fine without having to give up a ton of capital for Adams plus the contact they’d need to work out.
Seattle Seahawks (Est 2020 Cap Space $-7,244,651)
It would appear that the Seahawks are also in the hunt for Jamal Adams. There are reports that they’ve made inquiries into Adams’s price and why wouldn’t they. Pairing Adams with Quandre Diggs would give the Seahawks one of the best safety tandems in the league. Pretty desirable, if you ask me. John Schneider has also shown a tendency to value the safety position highly. This is one of the more feasible options I see, however, it is still a huge investment for one guy. It’s going to be tough to pull off.
It seems to me there’s not a lot of clarity on the subject of Jamal Adams being traded. The Jets have almost all the leverage minus Adams actually holding out and not getting paid, but then, they’d still have him under contract. An under-the-radar team, Tampa Bay, emerged after the original post on Instagram by Adams. The buccaneers would have to come up with some serious capital. It may be draft picks or a combination of players and picks but almost assuredly there needs to be a first-round pick involved. I’m not even convinced a deal gets done before the season so a holdout could be real. For Jamal Adams’s sake, I hope he gets the contract he deserves. He’s convinced me.
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Salary Cap information provided by Spotrac.com
