Adams is intriguing, but don’t expect deal
We all know Trader Bill loves to deal.
If you’re a Texans fan, you’re probably on the edge of your seat hoping Trader Bill strikes again.
If the New York Jets actually do dangle disgruntled strong safety Jamal Adams over a pool of interested teams, we know Bill O’Brien will seriously consider taking the bait.
Why?
Because O’Brien tells us he, owner Cal McNair and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby are always looking for ways to improve the team. And Adams would definitely improve the Texans, especially a defense that finished 28th last season, including 25th against the run and 29th against the pass.
As soon as Adams asked to be traded and included the Texans as one of his eight preferred destinations, fans and media — not to mention first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver — got hysterical about the possibility of pairing him with Justin Reid.
Adams and Reid — the best safety combination in the NFL. Sounds sweet, doesn’t it? Yeah, but it’s a long shot for several reasons we’ll get into, but first let me remind you of the whirlwind O’Brien went on in trading for left tackle Laremy
Tunsil, receivers Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks, cornerback Gareon Conley, outside linebacker Jacob Martin, and running backs Duke Johnson, Carlos Hyde and David Johnson.
And that list doesn’t include rookie defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who was selected with a second-round pick included in the DeAndre Hopkins trade with Arizona.
Adams, the sixth overall pick from LSU in 2017, is coming off a second consecutive Pro Bowl and his first appearance on the All-Pro first team. He turns 25 in October and has two years left on his contract for base salaries of $825,000 this season and $9.86 million in 2021, the fifthyear option the Jets picked up in April.
No matter how much Adams howls he wants to be traded, the Jets have no interest in dealing their best player. At least not now when there’s so much uncertainty in the NFL because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Jets finished 7-9 last season, and with Tom Brady out of the AFC East picture, they believe they have a chance to compete for the division title and a wild card playoff berth.
Trading Adams would severely diminish those chances.
The Jets have Adams under contract for two years, and then they could franchise him for as many as three years. And the new collective bargaining agreement makes it more difficult to hold out.
If a player doesn’t report to training camp on time, he doesn’t get credit for the season toward free agency. Players also have to pay their fines. They can no longer be forgiven by the team when the player reports or signs a new deal.
Now, knowing all that, what if Adams plays hardball and talks his way out of the Jets’ organization?
The Jets would have to get a knockout offer for a great player like Adams, a difference-maker. And the new team would have to be willing to make Adams the highest-paid safety in the league at a time when teams could take a financial bath that will influence the salary cap.
It was reported last week Adams wouldn’t demand to have his contract extended this year by his new team, that he would continue to play under his original rookie deal. If that’s true, it could lure a lot of teams, including the Texans.
O’Brien doesn’t have firstand second-round picks in 2021 because of the trade for Tunsil and Stills. As it stands, he does have eight draft choices in the third through seventh rounds, and he’s got the Texans’ regular picks in 2022. It’s doubtful the Jets would want to wait that long to see dividends for Adams.
The Texans couldn’t afford to extend Adams this season anyway. They’re planning on one big deal for quarterback Deshaun Watson by the start of the regular season — an extension that could average $40 million a year.
But — hold on to your hat — they could trade for Adams and promise his agent they’ll extend him after the season. And if they have any doubt about O’Brien’s sincerity, just ask Tunsil.
After the trade with Miami, Tunsil played under his existing contract. After the season, he signed a three-year extension that averaged $22 million a year, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
That would have to be music to Adams’ ears, right?
Adams grew up as a Cowboys fan in Carrollton, a Dallas suburb. It’s no surprise the Cowboys are his first choice. But Jerry Jones has salary cap issues and is still trying to strike a new deal with quarterback Dak Prescott, who was designated as their franchise player.
If Adams came to Houston, he’d be close enough to home for his family to attend his games at NRG Stadium.
O’Brien and Easterby made the trade for Tunsil and Stills believing the Texans would be successful enough in 2019 and 2020 to be drafting low in the first round. And they were correct about last season. They might be right about this season, too. If not, the Dolphins will hit the jackpot with their picks in the first and second rounds.
So knowing all that, let me ask you this: If you were O’Brien and the Jets would do it, would you surrender firstand second-round picks in 2022 for Adams?
The odds are against the Texans — beginning with the distinct possibility the Jets will keep Adams — but he’s Trader Bill for a reason, so does he try to deal or sit still?