Jamal Adams' Trade Request May Affect Ashtyn Davis' Status With Jets
New York Jets Pro-Bowl safety Jamal Adams has requested a trade, according to ESPN.com and the New York Post, and if he does get dealt it might open up playing time for Ashtyn Davis, a rookie from Cal.
The reports came on Thursday after Adams' said at the end of a long social media message earlier in the day that "Maybe it's time to move on!" That is according to a Tweet by Field Yates of ESPN.
It was later confirmed that Adams requested a trade.
Adams is involved in a contract dispute with the team. Adams is still playing on his rookie contract, which extends through the 2021 season, but he would like a lucrative extension now, like several others in similar situations have received.
Adams, 24, has played three NFL seasons, and was named to the Pro Bowl the past two years. In addition he was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2019. He is, quite simply, one of the best strong safeties in the NFL.
It's uncclear whether the Jets would consider trading Adams, but the New York Post reported this:
It has long been suspected that Adams, who is from the Dallas area, wants to fill the Cowboys’ need for a playmaking safety. He has been upset with the Jets since his name surfaced in trade rumors last October.
What does all this have to do with Davis?
Well, Davis was a third-round pick by the Jets in this year's NFL draft after being a three-year starter at safety for Cal. He is currently listed as the backup to Marcus Maye at the free safety spot, according to ESPN.com and CBSSports.com. But Maye is also listed as the backup to Adams at strong safety, so it wouldn't take much maneuvering to put Maye at strong safety and slip Davis into the starting free safety slot.
In a June 11 Sports Illustrated video shown atop this story, Jets reporter Kristian Dyer says, "You have Marcus May who is very solid. And then you also drafted a player on day two, a safety, Ashtyn Davis out of Cal Berkeley, who could potentially be a starter on the backend. And Jamal Adams' days may not be numbered for the Jets, but they certainly have a good amount of clout when it comes to negotiations."
The only conern regarding Davis is his health. Surgery to repair a groin injury prevented him from participating in the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine, and CBSSports.com's Jets' depth chart includes the note that Davis is quetionable for the start of training camp because of that ailment. A delay to the start of training camp may help Davis heal.
NFL Draft Scout expert Rob Rang labeled Davis the Jets' best value pick of the draft. Rang said this in mid-May:
The Jets’ duo of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye was one of the top safety tandems in the NFL a season ago and so the selection of Davis in the third round had to confuse some of New York’s passionate fans. I thought Davis deserved late first round consideration, ranking him 30 overall, so needless to say I feel that the Jets got great value with the selection, even if there is limited opportunity for immediate impact. I’m not so sure that Davis was selected as just a hedge against injury or with Maye entering the final year of his rookie contract, though both of those make sense. I am convinced that Davis would have proved his versatility at the Senior Bowl had he been medically cleared to play, showing that he could handle nickel, outside corner and safety duties – just as he did at Cal in Justin Wilcox’s pro scheme. Davis is unusual in that he possesses the athletic traits of a first round pick but has kept his walk-on grit. Whether it is at free safety in 2021 or elsewhere, Davis is going to wind up proving a steal for the Jets.
Cover photo of Jamal Adams by Jason Vinlove - USA TODAY Sports
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