Handicappers reveal Jamal Adams trade odds
Since being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Jamal Adams has established himself as one of the league's best box safeties. He made the Pro Bowl in 2018 behind 115 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery and then was named First-Team All-Pro in 2019 with 75 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and two defensive touchdowns.
However, with Adams and the New York Jets reaching an impasse about a long-term contract extension, the 24-year-old has reportedly requested a trade. Adams is entering the final season of his rookie contract but the Jets have already exercised their fifth-year option, meaning any team acquiring the talented young defensive back will be acquiring two years of control (and likely three with a franchise tag).
Of course, Adams will likely be looking for the security of a long-term extension wherever he's traded, so he does have some leverage here to force a deal by threatening a holdout against the Jets (if they keep him) or against any team who trades for him without working on a new contract. So teams interested will have to balance what Adams brings to the table (which is considerable) with what they'll have to give up in a trade and how much it will cost to keep him.
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With that in mind, SportsLine handicappers have revealed odds for where Adams will be playing in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season. These odds are for informational purposes only.
If Jamal Adams is traded by the Jets, which team will he be playing for Week 1 of the 2020 season?
Cowboys +250
Ravens +350
Texans +500
Seahawks +600
49ers +750
Eagles +800
Browns +1000
Dolphins +1200
Chiefs +1500
Bucs +1800
As you can see, the odds are contingent on the Jets actually making a trade, otherwise they'd likely still be the favorites to retain his services despite the desire to play elsewhere. Adams might be able to hold out temporarily but he'd be forgoing millions just as he's coming into his prime to hold out of actual games and the Jets have the contractual control to sit on him for years if they don't receive an offer that tickles their fancy.
That being said, Adams is young, he's an All-Pro and he is going to make whatever defense he joins a lot better, so there should be considerable interest and the Jets should be able to attract a substantial offer. And the Cowboys would seemingly have the most to gain by adding a player of that caliber in their secondary after losing Byron Jones during free agency.
Jerry Jones and Dallas were linked to making a move for Earl Thomas for years, but this is a trade for a safety that would actually make a lot more sense because Adams is much younger than Thomas was when those discussions were rumored. And speaking of Thomas, Adams would also fit ideally alongside the future Hall of Famer in Baltimore to give the Ravens one of the NFL's scariest defenses.
Looking a little further down the odds board, the Seahawks have lost all the star power from the once-vaunted Legion of Boom and Adams would give Pete Carroll a centerpiece to build a new secondary around. And with all the improvements that the Buccaneers made offensively this offseason, adding a player of Adams' ilk to the defense would go a long way towards making sure that Tom Brady and Bruce Arians didn't have to win shootouts on a weekly basis.
The Texans, Browns, Eagles and Dolphins could all easily afford Adams, but the question will become does Adams want to play for them and do the teams he actually wants to play for have the pieces necessary to get the Jets to pull the trigger on a trade. Meanwhile, Adams would make the 49ers and Chiefs rosters look even more unbelievable than they already are, but with so many stars on those rosters due for extensions in the coming years, adding Adams to the mix likely means losing somebody they want to keep further down the road.
Inevitably, Adams wants to be paid and he wants to play on a roster that is closer to competing for a postseason berth than the one he's already on. That makes the Seahawks look like a potentially interesting option (especially at that price), as he'd join a playoff team with a head coach that has proven that he knows how to turn defensive backs into genuine stars.
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