Jets safety Jamal Adams wants out of New York and has requested a trade, according to multiple reports.
And according to ESPN, the Eagles are one of seven teams he would welcome a trade to. In addition to the Eagles, Adams would reportedly also welcome a trade to the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
The question is — do the Eagles want him?
As a player, Adams makes a ton of sense for the Eagles. The team let Malcolm Jenkins go in free agency and it is easy to see Adams stepping right into the role Jenkins played. Adams, 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, has totals 273 tackles, 12 sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions in three seasons (46 games) for the Jets.
The 24-year old former first-round pick is an in-the-box safety that is a solid tackler, playmaker and natural leader. As optimistic as the Eagles are about what Jalen Mills could do in his new role at safety, Adams has been a two-time Pro Bowl player at the position and was an All-Pro in 2019. Adding him to the defense would be a game changer, and would complete the overhaul of their secondary.
The issue is the money and compensation.
Adams reportedly wants to be paid like the top safety in the league, and that will mean a deal worth around $15 million per year. That is going to be an issue for the Eagles, who have $24 million in cap space currently, but are projected to be $50 million over the cap in 2021. There is also the possibility that $50 million hole gets even deeper if the salary cap drops due to fallout from COVID-19 pandemic. Adams has a cap hit of $7 million in 2020, and then his fifth-year option in 2021 is just over $9 million. It seems Adams might be open to not demanding a deal immediately from his new team, but will want paid soon, and certainly before 2021.
Even if things do remain the same, fitting Adams into their salary cap will not be easy. It will require a low cap-hit initially, and potentially in 2021 as well, with that number exploding in 2022. Still, as complicated as it might be, the duo of Howie Roseman and Jake Rosenberg are arguably the best cap experts in the league, and could likely figure out a way to make it work if they really wanted Adams.
In addition to paying Adams, however, they will also need to trade for him. With seven teams on his list, there will likely be some kind of bidding war for Adams. The big-contract he is owed will potentially impact what it costs to trade for him, but it is hard to imagine it not costing at least one first-round pick. A premium pick and a big-time deal is a major investment, and it is fair to wonder if a safety is worth that kind of investment — especially for a team like the Eagles, who have cap issues and need to get younger.
It is easy to see why Adams would want to come to Philadelphia. The Eagles are one of the top organizations in the league and are always Super-Bowl contenders. \
It would be surprising, however, if the feeling was mutual and a deal happened to bring Adams to Philadelphia.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
