Odds: Where will New York Jets safety Jamal Adams play in 2020 if not the Big Apple?
Throughout the offseason, the New York Jets have made it abundantly clear that they want to keep Jamal Adams. But even the best of intentions might see the team needing to part with their star defensive player.
Such is reality in the NFL.
Adams has made it very clear that he wants to be paid as the top safety in the NFL and rightly so, the Jets All-Pro (and the team’s only Pro Bowl selection) is coming off of a monster year. As he gets set to enter the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract, Adams is eyeing a massive pay raise.
The Jets, however, according to reports, aren’t rushing to hand Adams a huge contract. There are still years left on his rookie deal (2020, 2021) and the Jets could theoretically still give him the franchise tag, a scenario which could preclude him from not hitting the open market until after the 2023 season.
But that doesn’t mean things couldn’t go south with negotiations for a long-term deal or Adams couldn’t threaten or actually hold out at some point (or multiple points) over the looming offseasons. All of which makes a possible trade something that may not be likely at this juncture but still a possibility.
And the Dallas Cowboys, long-rumored to be enthralled with the former LSU safety, are at the top of the open market according to gaming site Bovada:
Where Will Jamal Adams Play Game 1 Of The 2020-2021 NFL Season?
• New York Jets -200
• Dallas Cowboys +450
• Houston Texans +550
• Seattle Seahawks +1200
• Philadelphia Eagles +1400
• New Orleans Saints +1800
• Cleveland Browns +1800
• Miami Dolphins +1800
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1800
• San Francisco 49ers +1800
It should be noted that the Jets are still the heavy favorites to see Adams in their uniform this year.
The Cowboys have been heavily linked to Adams since last fall when, on the trade deadline in late October, they reportedly called up Jets general manager Joe Douglas to enquire about the safety. Douglas did his due diligence but wasn’t seeking to move his team’s best player. Adams was born and raised in a suburb of Dallas.
And Douglas has been rather adamant about wanting to keep Adams. At the NFL Combine in February, both he and head coach Adam Gase stated that they want to keep Adams and sign him to a long-term deal.
Any deal for Adams will likely be in the neighborhood of $15 million annually, a steep price but one worth the game’s best safety.
