Jets Trade Idea To Cut Ties With 4-Year Veteran Makes Perfect Sense

It's almost time to enter fire sale mode

Aug 17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Jets helmets during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Well, this isn't going as planned.

While the New York Jets were perhaps not expected to be Super Bowl contenders, no one associated with the franchise was hoping for an 0-4 start. Losing to the Miami Dolphins on Monday to become the last winless team in the AFC East was proof that any good vibes coming into the season had evaporated.

History is not on the Jets' side here. Only one team in NFL history -- the 1992 San Diego Chargers -- has made the playoffs after starting 0-4. So it's probably time to start thinking about who could be traded before the Week 10 deadline.

Tony Adams is ideal Jets trade candidate if there's interest

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets safety Tony Adams (22) gestures while walking off the field following a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

On Monday, Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors suggested that the Jets should field interest in safety Tony Adams, a fourth-year veteran who has four career interceptions, and has played 75% of the team's defensive snaps this season.

"Adams has been usurped by fourth-round (safety) Malachi Moore and is in the final year of his contract," Ulrich wrote. "If the Jets don't plan to bring him back, he makes sense as a trade candidate if he sparks interest from other teams."

Adams, 26, has played 44 games for the Jets, including 30 starts. In addition to the four interceptions, he has 197 tackles, 12 passes defended, and a passer rating of 87.5 when targeted.

While the aforementioned snap count data suggests there's room for both Moore and Adams to make an impact right now, it doesn't do the Jets much good to have a deep secondary if they're just going to limp to a last-place finish. Meanwhile, there will be teams hoping to make the playoffs that lose their starting safeties to injuries at some point during the next month and a half.

If the Jets move on from Adams, collect some draft pick compensation, and let Moore take the lion's share of the snaps at the strong safety spot, that could be the best of all scenarios.

But it's still early enough in the season that we don't know what the interest in Adams looks like, assuming there is any, so it should not yet be assumed that a trade will happen just because it makes perfect sense on paper.

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