As the offseason begins to die down, New York Jets safety Jamal Adams wanted to make it clear he wants out of the Meadowlands. The Indianapolis Colts are a team building both for now and the future, and trading for Adams allows them to do both.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Adams has been with the Jets for the last three seasons as one of their foundational pieces on defense. However, with a contract extension not appearing to be in his future, Adams officially requested a trade.
Here are the seven teams to which Jets’ Pro-Bowl safety Jamal Adams would welcome a trade, per source:
🏈Ravens
🏈Cowboys
🏈Texans
🏈Chiefs
🏈Eagles
🏈49ers
🏈Seahawks— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 18, 2020
The Colts are a team that doesn’t appear to need a whole lot. The safety position, though, would fall under the category of team needs. Adams is young and talented, able to be a key piece of the secondary for years to come.
Since entering the league, Adams has 12.0 sacks, 25 passes defended and six forced fumbles in 46 career games. He’s best when being used in the box while making plays close to the line of scrimmage. That said, he has much more positional versatility than simply being used as a run-stopping safety.
The Colts have a strong relationship with the Jets. Even before Rex Hogan joined the latter’s front office, the Colts and Jets seemed to have a trading relationship right off the bat. This would certainly make trade talks easier.
The price for Adams would be high. There is no denying that. The package would likely include a future first-round pick and potentially a player. That’s where the opportunity cost comes in.
What it be wise for the Colts to trade a first-round pick on a top safety when they could potentially use that pick in a package to trade up for their future quarterback in 2021? There’s a solid argument for both sides.
If the Colts believe they can win now with Philip Rivers and that adding a playmaking safety like Adams brings them closer to a championship, then it would be a solid move to bring the LSU product to the Circle City.
It will all come down to what the Colts are willing to give up and while we saw them give a first-rounder for DeForest Buckner, they likely won’t be too privy on doing the same for a safety—even as good as Adams is.
It’s more likely that the Colts don’t pay the price for Adams, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see them call. It would improve the team both immediately and for the future, but it remains to be seen if Chris Ballard wants to go two years without a first-round pick.
What say you, Colts fans? Should they trade for Adams?
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