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New York Jets strong safety Jamal Adams reportedly wants out of the Meadowlands, as contract negotiations have evidently not gone as well as he’d hoped.
The Jets-Jamal Adams situation continues to deteriorate. Adams informed the team he wants to be traded, a source tells ESPN. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) June 18, 2020
Adams is under contract through 2021 after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option, but he’s made it clear he wants a new deal before the start of this season. Reportedly, he wants to be the NFL’s highest paid safety, with the current benchmark at $14.6 million per year for the Chicago Bears’ Eddie Jackson.
As far as where Adams would like to play next (like he has any say in that), the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly on a shortlist that includes last season’s Super Bowl teams, several other playoff teams, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Here are the seven teams to which Jets’ Pro-Bowl safety Jamal Adams would welcome a trade, per source:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 18, 2020
Ravens
Cowboys
Texans
Chiefs
Eagles
49ers
Seahawks
Adams leads all safeties in sacks since he entered the league in 2017, and he earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2018 before getting upgraded to First-Team in 2019. Hell, he had 6.5 sacks last year and Seattle only wish they had that type of productivity from its actual pass rushers. He’s easily one of the best young defensive stars in the league and one of the few bright spots on the usually mediocre-to-terrible Jets squads.
Jamal Adams Catch Rate Allowed Over Expectation (2019): -17.8%
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 18, 2020
Only three safeties were more productive relative to expectation when targeted as the nearest defender: Earl Thomas (-24.9%), Chandon Sullivan (-21.9%) and Eddie Jackson (-20.9%), min. 20 targets
Adams was also among the most active blitzers among defensive backs last season, leading the position group in total QB pressures (17).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 18, 2020
Since entering the league in 2017, Adams has generated 38 career QB pressures, more than any defensive back in that span.
Seattle’s safety pairing consists of Quandre Diggs at FS and Bradley McDougald at SS. Diggs’ contract is up in two years while McDougald is in the final year of his contract. You have Marquise Blair as the presumptive future of the Seattle secondary and he can play either position. Lano Hill... is still on the roster. Under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, the Seahawks have historically shied away from making a big splash move for a secondary player — Diggs and Quinton Dunbar were both acquired for late-round draft picks — so I’m largely skeptical that they’d zero in on trading early-round draft picks and pay Adams the money that he wants. He may have interest in playing for Seattle, but the feeling may not be mutual.
If you gave me the choice of making a big trade for Jamal Adams or Chris Jones, I’d lean towards Jones, but maybe you’ll disagree with me in the comments section.