Which Players the 49ers could Trade for Jamal Adams
Raheem Mostert wants off the 49ers. Jamal Adams wants off the Jets. Can these teams help each other?
Absolutely.
The 49ers need to improve their secondary -- they could use Adams, the best strong safety in the NFL. And the Jets must improve their running game -- it ranked last out of 32 teams in yards per carry last season. They could use Raheem Mostert, who led all running backs in yards per carry in 2019.
The Jets don’t want to trade Adams, but may not have a choice. He has demanded a trade, and listed the 49ers as one of seven teams he would agree to join. And the 49ers reportedly have interest in trading for Adams, according to Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith and me.
The 49ers probably don’t want to trade Mostert, either -- he was incredibly valuable last season. But what if he can help them trade for Adams? What if the Jets covet Mostert?
Some media have speculated the Jets covet 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey. But this offseason, the Jets spent their first-round pick on left tackle Mekhi Becton, and gave a three-year, $27.3 million contract to right tackle George Fant. Those two have to start -- the Jets invested too much in them to park either one on the bench. So where does McGlinchey figure in? Teams don’t rotate offensive tackles.
But they certainly rotate running backs.
Mostert seems like a better fit for the Jets than McGlinchey. Mostert can split carries with Le’Veon Bell, who used to be great but averaged just 3.2 yards per carry last season and hasn’t averaged more than 4 yards per carry since 2016. Sharing a workload with Mostert might revive Bell’s career.
The 49ers could offer the Jets Mostert, Jaquiski Tartt and a first-round draft pick for Adams. Mostert and Tartt each probably are worth third-round picks. And the Jets have $24.4 million in cap space, so they can afford to give Mostert a raise and also pay Tartt, who would replace Adams in their secondary.
And the 49ers actually would save money in 2020 by doing this trade, because they would create more than $4.4 million in cap space, which they could use to re-sign George Kittle. And trading Mostert would allow the 49ers to save future draft picks they’d have to include in this trade if he weren’t in it.
Seems like a fair deal for both sides.
