Jamal Adams - Where the All-Pro Safety Fits In Best
By: Wayne
On June 18, Jamal Adams made public his trade request from the New York Jets. He still has 2 years left under contract with his current team, but they may acquiesce depending on how much trouble he gives them over the coming months. With plenty of leverage, the Jets will be looking for a solid return from whoever they make a deal with. After all, Adams is arguably the best safety in football and was a First-Team All-Pro player this past season. He deserves a hefty return in any trade negotiations. It’s incredibly rare that a player of this caliber becomes available on the open market, and if he does there could be a monstrous bidding war between teams for his services.
Adams, assuming he has any sort of say in the matter, released a list of teams who he would want to play for next - the Ravens, Cowboys, Texans, Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, and Seahawks. All but one of those teams (the Cowboys) made the playoffs last year and all of them are expected to be amongst the teams with the highest win totals in the NFL this season. They all have established quarterback play and coaching and can offer Adams an opportunity to contend for a title right away - something the Jets never could. I’m going to break down each of the All-Pro safety’s preferred destinations including how he fits on the roster and whether the trade would make financial sense for the team.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens rank just below the Chiefs in Super Bowl odds at the moment, and you would have to imagine that adding Jamal Adams would make them the clear title favorites. Baltimore already ranked 3rd in points against last season and added former First-Team All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell to the roster. Jamal Adams and Earl Thomas would instantly become the best safety tandem in football by far, perhaps of all time when all is said and done. Adams - the hard-hitting, physical specimen who flies all over the field for tackles is the perfect Kam Chancellor-esque complement to what Earl Thomas provides a defense. Joining them in the secondary would be Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphery, and Jimmy Smith to form the best back-end unit in football. Lamar Jackson is going to become a free agent the same season as Adams, but with over $100 M in cap space coming up in 2022, the Ravens would be well-positioned to offer Jackson and Adams lucrative long-term deals. Adding Adams to the Ravens’ already formidable roster would make them a clear Super Bowl contender for years to come.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have long been the presumed favorite in a potential Jamal Adams trade. The team had hoped to acquire Earl Thomas for quite some time before the joined the Ravens and Jerry Jones would pounce at the opportunity to add a player of Adams’ caliber. The Cowboys did add HaHa Clinton-Dix over the offseason and have had Xavier Woods perform much better than would be expected for a former 6th-round pick, but there’s no question that Adams would be an elite addition to the defense. The Cowboys replaced Byron Jones with Trevon Diggs in the draft and have some solid talent all over their front seven with Leighton Vander-Esch, Demarcus Lawrence, Gerald McCoy, and Jaylon Smith. The Cowboys will undoubtedly be an offense-driven team in 2020 with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb leading the charge behind an elite offensive line, but there’s no question that the arrival of Adams would make them a Super Bowl contender. The financial aspect of this is a little more complicated as the Cowboys will be up against the cap once they renegotiate Dak Prescott’s long-term contract, but with $67 M in cap space coming up in 2022 (Adams’ free agency year) they can probably find a way to make it work.
Houston Texans
The Texans are perhaps the most confusing inclusion on this list as they certainly seem to be on the downswing as of late with their recent trade of DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. There’s no question Adams could immediately improve their defense, however, as Justin Reid is a force at free safety but the team has a massive hole alongside him. The Texans currently have $20 M in cap space and plenty of room heading into the future, so perhaps a deal for a player of Adams’ caliber would make some sense, especially since he has displayed an interest in playing there. Deshaun Watson will be a free agent in 2022, the same season as Adams, and his impending departure is certainly a storyline in Houston. A trade for Adams would reaffirm the team’s commitment to winning and likely make Watson more likely to stay long-term.
Kansas City Chiefs
This is the one that absolutely scares the shit out of me. The Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl win and while they did lose a handful of defensive starters this offseason, the offensive trio of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce will ensure Kansas City is among the best teams in football once again. They currently have the best Super Bowl odds in the NFL at the moment and they would certainly be prohibitive favorites with the addition of Adams to a defensive nucleus that already features Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Frank Clark, and Chris Jones. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo has keyed a turnaround in Kansas City - the team ranked 7th in points allowed last year after finishing 24th the year prior - and the addition of Adams would transform their productivity on that side of the ball. The real concern for the Chiefs would be that key players in Chris Jones, Sammy Watkins, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyrann Mathieu are set to hit free agency in the next couple of years and the team may already struggle to pay all of them without trying to fit in a mega-extension for Adams. It may be wiser for the team to hold onto its draft picks and future assets with Patrick Mahomes likely resetting the QB market with his extension in a couple of years.
Philadelphia Eagles
Schwartz and I published our NFC East win total predictions today and we both had the Eagles at under 9.5 wins. That would change in a hurry if the team is able to acquire Jamal Adams. Their biggest issue last season was a lack of secondary talent and the team lost a mainstay at safety in Malcolm Jenkins over the offseason. Even after signing Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman as well as drafting K’Von Wallace, there is a lack of talent at safety that could hold the team back this season. Adams would quickly transform it into their biggest strength and it would also help the Eagles get one back over their division-rival Cowboys after how the CeeDee Lamb situation played out. It’s a real question if the cap numbers make sense, though, as Carson Wentz’s extension sets in next season and he will represent a $30 M+ cap hit each year over the next several years. The Eagles already project to be $50 M over the cap next season and that’s before trying to fit in Adams. While the Eagles could make a run back to the Super Bowl with Jamal Adams on the roster, it’s unlikely that the financial numbers make sense.
San Francisco 49ers
Jamal Adams said it himself - any defensive back would love to play alongside a defensive line that features Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, and Javon Kinlaw. When your defensive back is as special as Adams is, though, you’re talking about what would have the potential to be one of the best defenses of this generation under the direction of Robert Saleh. The 49ers already ranked 8th in points allowed last season and the presence of an All-Pro safety in Adams would help take some pressure off Richard Sherman who, while still elite, is now 32 years old. The tandem of Adams and Jimmie Ward might be the best combination of safeties in football. The 49ers were a few plays away from winning the Super Bowl this past season and it’s not hard to imagine them bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay with Adams in tow. John Lynch is a master negotiator and, after trading away DeForest Buckner, the team opened up $15 M in cap space - enough to acquire Adams for this season. They can also begin working on an extension right away with plenty of long-term cap space to work with. This is a dark horse destination that makes a ton of sense for all parties involved.
Seattle Seahawks
It’s been a few years of transition since the days of the Legion of Boom when Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Richard Sherman dominated proceedings in Seattle. Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar, and Quandre Diggs are well on their way to giving Seattle an above-average secondary again, but the addition of Jamal Adams would vault them back into elite territory. The Seahawks only ranked 22nd in points allowed last season so an addition like Adams would be incredibly impactful. Jadeveon Clowney is still a free agent, and while the team still has $13 M in cap space available, it seems like his days in the Pacific Northwest are numbered. With a bit of salary matching in a trade, Adams could be the high-priced defender to take his place. He and Bobby Wagner would form arguably the best safety-linebacker duo in football and would help the Seahawks elevate back into title contention. With Russell Wilson on offense, a solidly above-average defense, and Pete Carrol on the sidelines, the Seahawks would quickly become one of the best teams in football.
