It feels like forever now that the Dallas Cowboys have been in media discussions about trading for an All-Pro safety. Last year the focus shifted from Earl Thomas to the Jets’ Jamal Adams. With reports yesterday that the relationship between Adams and New York is deteriorating, could it be time for Dallas to finally pull the trigger?
While Jamal’s contention with the Jets has been going on for a while, thing apparently took a downward turn yesterday.
Adams has lived up to every expectation since being the 6th-overall pick in the 2017 draft. He hit the ground running as a rookie and quickly ascended to being one of the NFL’s top safeties.
Jamal was named a First Team All-Pro in 2019 and was one the Second Team the year before. He gone to the last two Pro Bowl, only missing it in his rookie season.
Only turning 25 in October, Adams is already arguably the best player at his position in the league. Given all of this, it’s no surprise then that New York would expect a lot in at trade.
Some of us see any request for multiple draft picks, or even just a 1st-rounder, and immediately turn the other way. But the Cowboys are in a position with their projected 2021 draft picks to give this idea some consideration.
Based on the departure of CB Byron Jones this year and the lucrative deal he signed with Miami, Dallas is expected to get an extra 3rd-Round compensatory pick in next year’s draft. That is a big piece of additional ammo to put into a trade.
Even if the Jets were to demand the Cowboys’ original 3rd-Round pick instead of the compensatory, the difference between the two may not be much. If Dallas is as competitive in 2020 as many expect then their original pick should be toward the end of the round anyway.
It’s been a while since the Cowboys invested much in the safety position. They’ve focused more on other parts of the defense and hoped the safeties would perform adequately.
But after six years of the Monte Kiffin/Rod Marinelli philosophy of defense, there’s a new man in charge in Mike Nolan. Could a new priority be placed on the safety position under his coordination?
And even if Nolan wanted Jamal Adams, is Dallas’ front office willing to hand over that much draft capital for a player that would immediate expect a massive new contract?
Keep in mind that the reason this is even topic is that Jamal wants a long-term deal from the Jets before the start of 2020. He has two seasons left on his rookie deal after New York picked up his 5th-year option for 2021.
Even that fifth season will only pay Adams a little under $10 million. The top safety contracts in the league right now are paying about $14 million per season.
One of the best benefits of draft picks are the four years of bargain play you get on their rookie deals. Dallas could reason that they’d rather just draft a 1st-Round safety in 2021 and enjoy that perk rather than sacrifice it now for Adams.
Again, we’ve been talking about the Cowboys trading for a top safety for a while now. And perhaps that’s all it is; just talk.
But like Amari Cooper in 2018, Jamal Adams is a young player who’s already proven to be one of the best in the game. It’s the kind of move that Dallas has made before, and one they certainly can’t ignore now as they’re trying to get back to the Super Bowl.
