Tag: NFL trades

Michael Jackson adds to the growing list of Bob Quinn trades between the Lions and Patriots

Quinn hasn’t gone more than 10 months without making a trade with his former employer since coming to Detroit in January of 2016

My phone alerted me to an email a little after 4 p.m. on Sunday. I only saw a snippet of the subject in the preview.

“Lions trade CB Michael Jackson”

I didn’t see the rest of the subject or the body, but I knew instantly where Jackson was heading. Recent history dictates that if the Lions are going to make a trade, it’s with the New England Patriots. It’s what they do.

Prior to the Jackson trade, which brings back an undisclosed 2022 draft pick for a player the Lions were cutting, the last trade Detroit made was also with New England. That trade back in March brought safety Duron Harmon and the draft pick that became DL Jashon Cornell to Detroit, in exchange for a draft pick that wound up being traded back to Detroit by the Raiders in a package that became OG Logan Stenberg and RB Jason Huntley.

In June of last year, the Lions dealt TE Michael Roberts to the Patriots. That deal fell through when Roberts couldn’t pass a physical.

While Bob Quinn has made trades with other teams as well in his tenure as the team’s GM since 2016, he definitely has a thing for working deals with his former employer in New England.

May 2016 – The Lions sent a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick to New England for LB Jon Bostic. Bostic never played for the Lions so the pick remained with Detroit.

October 2016 – Detroit dealt LB Kyle Van Noy to New England along with a 2017 seventh-round pick in return for a 2017 sixth-round pick. The Lions used that pick on QB Brad Kaaya. New England traded the seventh-round pick in a swap of three picks that produced players who were all out of the league by the end of 2018.

April 2017 – A draft-day trade resulted in the Lions sending their third-round pick to the Patriots for a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Detroit’s acquired third-round pick became WR Kenny Golladay. The fourth-rounder was used to select LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Patriots traded up to draft OT Antonio Garcia, who never made an NFL roster, not even as a third-round rookie.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots had acquired the pick Detroit used on Golladay from the Browns in a trade for … now-Lions LB Jamie Collins.

September 2017 – The Lions traded CB Johnson Bademosi to New England for a 2019 sixth-round pick. That pick got packaged by the Lions as part of a deal (with Minnesota) to move up in the 2019 draft and select S Will Harris in the third round. Talk about delayed gratification…

April 2018 – During the draft, the Lions dealt a second-round and fourth-round pick to New England to move up and select RB Kerryon Johnson earlier in the second round. New England traded away both the acquired picks, one to Chicago (WR Anthony Miller) and the other to Tampa Bay (S Jordan Whitehead). The Patriots have also since traded the player they draft with the pick they acquired from Tampa Bay, CB Duke Dawson.

April 2018 – Another draft-day deal saw the Lions send a 2019 third-round pick to New England for the Patriots’ fourth-round pick in 2018. The Lions drafted DE Da’Shawn Hand. As is their custom, the Patriots traded away the acquired pick for three other picks, of which they traded two and selected RB Damien Harris with the third.

That’s eight total trades between Quinn and the Patriots since March of 2016. Interestingly enough the Lions have come out net winners on all but one of them.

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Making sense of why 49ers didn’t trade for Jamal Adams

A Jamal Adams trade would’ve been hard for the 49ers to pull off while keeping their Super Bowl window open.

The 49ers didn’t trade for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams. Instead, their division rival the Seattle Seahawks did in exchange for two first-round picks and a third-round choice. While adding an All-Pro safety makes sense for just about any team, the 49ers weren’t in a place to make the all-in type of swing Seattle made.

It’s easy to set aside the long-term implications of a blockbuster trade for one of the NFL’s best safeties. Especially for a team like San Francisco that was so close to winning a Super Bowl last season. Adding Adams surely would’ve put them on the inside track for another trip to the NFL’s biggest stage, and might’ve been good enough to get them over the hump.

There are some things that have to be considered though from the 49ers’ perspective:

1. The salary cap is going to dip

It’s unknown exactly how much revenue the NFL will lose this season with fans either not attending games at all or in a limited capacity, but teams could be looking at a $175 million salary cap number — roughly $40 million below the projection from Over the Cap. San Francisco would have $4 million in cap space in 2021 if the number dips that far. Even if it comes up short of $40 million, it looks like they’ll have less than their projected $44 million to work with next offseason.

While they can restructure deals and make some cuts to alleviate some of that cap stress, it’s hard to envision the club working with exceptionally deep pockets next year.

2. Adams will want a huge contract

The rift between Adams and the Jets began in part because New York wouldn’t extend him after the third year of his rookie contract. Adams will require top-of-market money, and will likely want to reset the market. Washington’s Landon Collins has a six-year, $84 million deal with $44.5 million guaranteed. His total value and guarantees are the most among NFL safeties. Chicago’s Eddie Jackson is the highest paid by average annual value at $14.6 million.

It stands to reason that Adams will earn something like $15 million per season with more than $45 million guaranteed. That’s a hefty contract for a strong safety — a position the 49ers haven’t placed exceptionally high value on during John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. He does have two years left on his rookie contract at a reasonable price, but it’s hard to believe he’ll play two more seasons at a relative discount.

3. George Kittle still needs a contract

Part of the reason the 49ers and Kittle haven’t come to an agreement on a deal yet may have to do with the financial uncertainty going into next season. A potential $40 million shortfall makes it much trickier to sign Kittle to a deal that’s going to overhaul the tight end market. He figures to earn something well north of the $10.6 million Browns tight end Austin Hooper is raking in as the NFL’s highest-paid tight end. The team has made it clear Kittle is their priority, and unless something changes, adding his extension is going to be difficult enough. Tossing an eventual big deal for Adams into the mix would’ve appeared to put the safety ahead of Kittle on the club’s priority list.

4. Look at all the other free agents

Here are some of the 49ers players set to hit free agency going into an offseason where the team could be working with minimal cap space:

Kittle
Kyle Juszczyk
Trent Williams
Richard Sherman
K’Waun Williams
Ahkello Witherspoon
Emmanuel Moseley
Jaquiski Tartt
Kendrick Bourne
Solomon Thomas
Tevin Coleman
Ronald Blair
DJ Jones
Trent Taylor
Marcell Harris
Nick Mullens
CJ Beathard

They won’t be to keep all of them, but adding Adams means retaining any of the high-end players becomes next to impossible.

5. Restocking through the draft

The 49ers went into this year’s draft with no picks in Rounds 2, 3 or 4. They wound up moving around via trade and using five selections. With so many key players set to hit free agency, San Francisco can’t afford another year where they only use five picks, including three in the final three rounds. They need their Day 1 and 2 picks, and they already sent their 2021 third-round choice to Washington in the trade for Trent Williams.

Beating Seattle’s offer of a 2021 first-rounder, 2021 third-rounder and 2022 first-rounder would’ve meant unloading a ton of premium draft capital. That means San Francisco would’ve been in a spot where they had Adams, but a ton of holes to fill, minimal cap space and no premium picks. Lynch and the front office are creative, but the path to retooling a Super Bowl contender in those circumstances would’ve been close to impossible.

6. Positional value

The pass rush is the bread and butter of the 49ers’ defense. Both Lynch and Shanahan have made that abundantly clear. Their philosophy says their scheme thrives on sound play in the secondary that works because of a dominant pass rush. Therefore, their high-dollar investments aren’t going to come on the back end. They didn’t even want to pay defensive tackle DeForest Buckner because his position didn’t warrant the expenditure.

Given the value of the pass rush vs. the value of the secondary, it’s easy to see why the 49ers didn’t move the draft picks to acquire a safety that would eventually be one of their two highest-paid defenders. We saw last season how effective the Jimmie Ward-Jaquiski Tartt safety tandem is behind a strong pass rush. The improvement from Tartt to Adams doesn’t outweigh the uptick in price.

Kyle Shanahan’s explanation of 49ers defense explains why team didn’t trade for Jamal Adams

The 49ers didn’t need to trade for Jamal Adams because their defensive success starts up front.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is known as one of the NFL’s top offensive minds. He got there in part by cutting his teeth in defensive meetings with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005. By developing a deeper understanding of defensive football early in his coaching career, and game planning against defenses for nine years as an offensive coordinator, Shanahan knew exactly what defense he wanted his team to run when the 49ers hired him as their head coach before the 2017 season.

He hired Robert Saleh as his defensive coordinator to run a version of the defense that made the Seattle Seahawks so dominant in the early 2010s, and helped them maintain their status as a playoff contender through the entire decade.

Shanahan’s explanation of that defense and why he prefers it helps color in why the team didn’t make a strong, if any, push to trade for Jets All-Pro safety Jamal Adams.

The 49ers’ head coach joined the ‘Chris Simms Unbuttoned’ podcast and discussed why he chose to implement the defense Seattle popularized under head coach Pete Carroll.

“(It is) a very sound run front with very sound coverages. Now me personally, that’s the defense I wanted because I know if you have talented players, then there’s no way to really trick it,” Shanahan told Simms. “It’s too sound. You have to earn everything, and make the quarterback go 10-for-10. And a good one will, and so that’ll make you have to be unsound and eventually you might have to do a blitz or something to get that guy off. But if it isn’t that great one, there’s no holes for the coaches. It’s too sound.

“And there is some holes if we start drawing up some seven step drops with three hitches, and that’s why it’s so important to have the pass rush that we eventually have gotten. That Seattle has had. When you don’t have those pass rushers, you need a less sound defense.”

After elaborating on how Tampa Bay’s defenses in the early 2000s thrived thanks to their pass rush, and how defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis took the Colts over the top to a Super Bowl, he discussed why the 49ers’ pass rush is so vital to their defensive success.

“It took us awhile and we had to go through some stuff with the drafts and everything,” Shanahan said. “But when you get that pass rush, if you have that sound defense, man you make people earn it. And that’s what I don’t like going against.”

The key phrase here is ‘sound defense.’ A player like Adams would’ve made the 49ers better, but the cost doesn’t match the benefit. Jaquiski Tartt is a fine strong safety and played a key role in the secondary last season. He performs his job well, which is all the 49ers need behind a pass rush featuring Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.

General manager John Lynch two seasons ago equated the importance of a game wrecking pass rusher to the importance of a top-end quarterback. It’s clear the team’s defensive philosophy starts up front, and shelling out multiple draft picks and top-of-market money for players in the secondary isn’t necessary in a sound defensive scheme lead by one of the NFL’s most effective pass rushes.

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49ers’ division rival adds All-Pro safety to secondary

The 49ers and Seahawks’ rivalry got another spark when the Jets traded Jamal Adams to Seattle.

The Seattle Seahawks upped the stakes in what’s sure to be a hotly contested race for the NFC West crown. Last year’s division runner up agreed to a trade with the New York Jets that will send All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks will send safety Bradley McDougald, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick to the Jets for Adams and a 2021 fourth-round choice.  San Francisco’s defense of their NFC West title gets a little bit more difficult with that addition for Seattle.

The 49ers and Seahawks split their season series last year with the road team earning a victory in the final moments in each contest. San Francisco’s thrilling Week 17 win in Seattle clinched their first division title since 2012.

Adams will join a very good secondary that already featured safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Shaquill Griffin. His ability to line up all over the field is one way to help combat an offense as diverse as Kyle Shanahan’s. There aren’t many players in the league capable of hanging with players like Deebo Samuel and George Kittle in coverage, but Adams is one of them. He’s also an excellent run defender which may actually be the more relevant piece of his expansive skill set when facing the 49ers.

There were some whispers on the internet that San Francisco was interested in trading for Adams. They were one of the seven teams on his list of preferred destinations according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. No reports of an offer ever surfaced though. Instead, Adams is joining the 49ers’ biggest rival just in time for the rivalry to reach a boiling point again. Had he joined the 49ers, they might’ve run away with the NFC West. By joining the Seahawks, it ensures the division race will be tight again in 2020.

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Report: Jags’ “unwillingness” to trade Yannick Ngakoue a big factor in standoff

A new series of tweets from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter is shedding new light on what is preventing the Jacksonville Jaguars from parting ways with disgruntled defensive end, Yannick Ngakoue. In a nutshell, it sounds like the asking price is …

A new series of tweets from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter is shedding new light on what is preventing the Jacksonville Jaguars from parting ways with disgruntled defensive end, Yannick Ngakoue. In a nutshell, it sounds like the asking price is high.

While it appears Ngakoue is more than willing to be flexible with possible suitors, the fact of the matter is the Jaguars have absolutely no interest in dealing him unless a deal is purely beneficial to the team. As mentioned by us here at the Jaguars Wire Tuesday, not much has changed since Ngakoue initially stated on Twitter that his time in Jacksonville was over back in March. During their first post-draft press conference, coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell spoke as if they expected their star defensive end to be a Jaguar, and that expectation does not appear to have changed.

The deadline to reach a new long-term contract for tagged players like Ngakoue is today at 4 pm EST. Without a new agreement, Ngakoue would play on a one-year deal worth $17.8 million in 2020. After only earning approximately $3.4 million on his rookie deal, maybe he’ll have a change of heart, but it feels questionable at this point. However, for now, both sides appear to be locked into their stances waiting to see who will flinch first.

NFL.com’s Gil Brandt lists Jags as the third-best trade fit for Jamal Adams

While many are looking at playoff contenders as fits for Jamal Adams, NFL.com’s Gil Brandt thinks the Jags are a top fit for him.

One of the biggest topics of discussion in the football community has been Jamal Adams demanding a trade from the New York Jets due to a contract dispute. Since taking to social media with his thoughts, many have pointed out teams he could end up with if traded, most of which were labeled as desired destinations by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

However, as we’ve seen in the past, trades more times than not aren’t dictated by the player — and if traded — Adams could end up with a team that wasn’t named by Schefter or one many aren’t suspecting.

One team that NFL.com’s Gil Brandt at least feels are a fit is the Jacksonville Jaguars. On his list of fits, they came in at the No. 3 spot with only the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, above them

As I wrote above, the Jets should expect at least a first-round pick in return for Adams, which might make this potential deal too rich for a Jaguars team that, on paper, looks ticketed for a top-10 draft choice in 2021. And that’s setting aside the fact that Jacksonville is the one team here that does not appear on Adams’ reported wish list. But you could argue that Adams would be worth the investment for a group looking to grow, instantly lifting a secondary that will otherwise be relying on rookie C.J. Henderson to shoulder a significant amount of the load. The Jaguars haven’t fielded a true impact safety since Rashean Mathis’ heyday.

While it admittedly feels like a long-shot, here at Jags Wire we’ve also deemed the Jags as a good fit. They have nine total draft picks waiting for them in 2021 and two of them are first-round selections thanks to Jalen Ramsey.

However, unlike Brandt, we’ve also pointed out a way the Jags could potentially land Adams without giving up a first-round pick, and that’s by trading them Yannick Ngakoue. As many have seen, the young defensive end has been in a contract dispute of his own with the Jags and has made it clear he no longer wants to play for them.

While the team could hold on to hope that he’ll have a change of heart, it’s a gamble that could hurt them in the end when they reflect on it if he doesn’t. Additionally, the Jags would come out cheaper in 2020 compensating Adams as the highest-paid safety in the league than paying out Ngakoue a salary of $18 million under the franchise tender.

Only Adam’s (and maybe his agent) knows if Jacksonville is a spot he’d be fine with playing at. However, for a new deal to be the league’s highest-paid safety in a state without income taxes, he just might be open to it.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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Jamal Adams doesn’t want to go to Detroit and the Lions should be happy about that

Jets safety Jamal Adams wants a trade but didn’t list Detroit among his desired teams, and why that’s just fine for the Lions

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams wants a trade. The two-time Pro Bowler wants out of New York and provided a list of acceptable trade destinations.

As you probably expected, the Detroit Lions are not on Adams’ list. It’s instead populated with six teams that made the playoffs in 2019, plus his hometown Dallas Cowboys.

Adams wants to get out of New York not just to improve his chances of winning, but also to get paid. There are reports out there, including one from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, that Adams wants to be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. That price tag is over $20 million per season.

As of now, the highest-paid strong safety — Adams is essentially a hybrid SS/LB — is Landon Collins of Washington at $14.2 million per year. Adams not only wants to top the market, he wants to blow the top off the market.

Adams has two years left on his rookie contract. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 draft is angling to be the second player from his draft class to sign an extension far earlier than is customary, following Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey. The Jets have steadfastly refused to even entertain extending Adams with that much time left on his contract, which is a major factor why he wants out.

Sometimes it can be frustrating as a Lions fan to get left out of trade discussions and desires for the hot names. In this case, be thankful there is no reported interest in Adams by the Lions or vice versa. It seems extremely doubtful he’d appreciate playing in Detroit.

If Adams isn’t going to be happy being a marquee talent in New York and is only worried about his paycheck, he’s not the kind of player the Lions, or any good team, should want. Adams is a great player but his presence hasn’t helped New York sniff the postseason and it wouldn’t do much to advance Detroit’s chances, either.

3 players the Falcons should consider trading for

With limited cap space, the Atlanta Falcons were forced to move on from six of last season’s starters, including their leading tackler, De’Vondre Campbell, and 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley.

With limited cap space, the Atlanta Falcons were forced to move on from six of last season’s starters, including their leading tackler, De’Vondre Campbell, and 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley.

The team filled most of its needs in the draft, but could still use some depth at a few positions, including linebacker, corner and tight end. Let’s examine three low-risk, high-reward options that Atlanta could potentially trade for without giving up too much.

LB Haason Reddick – Cardinals

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

2019 Stats: 73 tackles (40 solo), 1 sack, 6 passes defended

Adored by scouts leading up the 2017 NFL Draft, Haason Reddick’s role never materialized in Arizona and it’s still unclear where he is best suited to play. The Cardinals run a 3-4 defense and played Reddick at inside linebacker last season. He may be a better fit as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense, or simply as a situational pass-rusher.

Reddick’s speed, athleticism and instincts coming out of Temple had scouts projecting him as rangy middle linebacker in the NFL. He played more of an outside LB/EDGE role in college and a return to a similar role in Atlanta could help him maximize his unique skill-set. Since Arizona declined Reddick’s fifth-year option and drafted Isaiah Simmons, the team is clearly not sold on him long term. In exchange for a late-round pick, Reddick may be worth taking a chance on during a contract year with a lot to prove.

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Tracking the Lions’ well-traveled, oft-traded 5th-round pick

The pick was traded for itself twice

It’s not uncommon for Day 3 draft picks to get traded. Nearly 40 percent of the picks made in Rounds 4-7 were traded at some point from 2016-2019. But in the case of the Detroit Lions fifth-round pick, it’s been quite a journey.

The Lions acquired the No. 172 overall pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Quandre Diggs. That trade went down during the 2019 season. Detroit then dealt the pick to New England in the trade to acquire safety Duron Harmon.

Effectively, the Lions traded the compensation for Quandre Diggs to replace Diggs in the secondary. But that’s not the end of the road for No. 172…

New England shipped the pick to Las Vegas in a Friday night trade with the Raiders as part of a large swap involving five total picks. The Raiders sent that hot potato right back where it started on Saturday, including 172 as one of the two picks in the deal to acquire Detroit’s 4th round selection at No. 109 overall.

The Lions finally used the pick on Saturday, selecting New Mexico State RB Jason Huntley.

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Tony Khan to Yannick Ngakoue: A trade won’t happen until the compensation is right

Tony Khan let Yannick Ngakoue know that insults would get the job done if he wants to be traded, however, the proper compensation will.

After being called out on Twitter by Yannick Ngakoue, Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan made two things clear: Insults won’t help the situation and a trade won’t happen until the compensation is right. In other words, it appears no team has wowed the organization enough to come off the disgruntled pass-rusher.

Whew! Talk about a social media showdown.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, things have been “quiet” in terms of Ngakoue getting traded. While he did add that discussions had occurred, Pelissero said no offers had been exchanged for Ngakoue.

The asking price for Ngakoue appears to be at least a first round pick and probably some additional picks. An example of what they might be looking for is what the Seattle Seahawks received for Frank Clark last season when the Kansas City Chiefs gave them a late 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick, and swapped thirds for 2019.

With the draft occurring Thursday, a draft-day trade shouldn’t be ruled out either for Ngakoue, something we discussed in our last episode of “Bleav in the Jags” with Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline. With a big gap between Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young and the others at his position, maybe a team that didn’t get to fill their needs on the edge will look to do business with the Jags.

If that happens, would that team be willing to give up what the Jags want? Or would the Jags be fine with potentially getting less than expected? Ultimately, time will tell but right now it appears the needle hasn’t moved much on this issue.