On Saturday, July 25, 2020, the New York Jets traded safety, Jamal Adams, to the Seattle Seahawks.
Trade:
Jets deal Jamal Adams and 4th-round pick in 2022To
Seattle, in exchange for Bradley McDougald (safety), 1st-round pick in 2021, 3rd-round pick in 2021, and 1st-round pick in 2022, source tells ESPN.
Deal is pending physicals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 25, 2020
This is a blockbuster deal for the New York Jets. But how do the Jets offloading the malcontent Adams in this deal measure up to other recent defensive player blockbuster deals?
Other Recent Defensive Blockbuster Trades
Deal: San Francisco 49ers traded DeForest Buckner (DL) to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2020 first-round pick.
Deal: Jacksonville Jaguars traded Jalen Ramsey (DB) to the Los Angeles Rams for 2020 first-round, 2021 first-round, 2021 fourth-round draft picks.
Deal: Miami Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick (S), 2020 fourth-round, 2021 sixth-round draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for 2020 first-round, 2020 fifth-round, 2021 sixth-round round picks
Deal: Houston Texans traded Jadeveon Clowney (DE) to the Seattle Seahawks for Barkeveous Mingo, Jake Martin, and a 2020 third-round draft pick.
Final Thoughts
Adams is entering the fourth year of his contract, can have his fifth-year option picked up, and is set for free agency in 2022. Unfortunately, Adams also wants an extension and to be paid as one of the top defenders in the NFL. This could prove tricky with the potential of the salary cap dipping almost $25 million in 2021.
For the Browns, they missed out on one of the premier defenders in the NFL. Adams could have provided an invaluable running mate with Grant Delpit and given Joe Woods another chess piece in his secondary.
There are two questions we should ask ourselves when evaluating this trade:
1. Would I be comfortable with the Browns trading this much for Jamal Adams?
2. Could this front office do more with the draft capital traded and the amount of cap space needed to placate Adams?
For me, I would not have been comfortable with trading away all of those pieces & I feel this front office can be more impactful with those assets.