Jamal Adams appears to be headed to the trade block, and the Dallas Cowboys may have the inside track on him.
The New York Jets safety informed the team on Thursday that he wants to be traded, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported. The two sides had appeared to reach an impasse on contract negotiations, with Adams growing increasingly frustrated that the team wasn’t receptive to his demands for a new contract. Adams, who is slated to make $3.5 million this season, said in January that he wanted to have an extension by the start of the 2020 season.
As the report noted, Adams told the team he would welcome a trade to a small group of teams — the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
While there’s no indications yet that there are any trade talks, Mike Fisher reported that Adams has an eye on the Cowboys and may even be willing to consider making some concessions if he were traded to Dallas. That includes taking less money or delaying his extension.
As Cimini reported, the Cowboys have had their eye on Adams in the past.
“The Jets entertained offers for Adams at the trading deadline last fall, with the Cowboys showing interest. The Jets’ asking price reportedly was a first-round pick and two second rounders,” the report noted.
It may not be even more expensive for the Cowboys — or any other team — to land Adams. He was a first-team All-Pro selection last season, a year in which he had 75 total tackles and one interception returned for a touchdown. Adams also forced two fumbles and had a fumble recovery.
As I reported on May 22, a trade-minded #jamaladams might consider financial concessions – less $ or delayed extension – if dealt to #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/uC1JNPcgce
— fishsports (@fishsports) June 18, 2020
There had already been indications that Adams could end up on the trading block if he and the team couldn’t make headway on a new contract. As The Inquisitr reported last month, the two sides had been in negotiations since around the NFL Draft but were making little progress, leading to rumors that the Jets could look to trade Adams.
It’s still not even clear if Adams will find a new team. Sources told ESPN that the team has no intention of trading him, though they could be forced to if Adams decides to hold out during training camp. The Jets still have Adams under team control for at least two more seasons and could use a franchise tag for a third, which had reportedly left the team without a sense of urgency to get a new deal done.