New York Jets reportedly want first- and third-rounders for Jamal Adams, should the Cowboys do it?

For so long it seemed like the Dallas Cowboys and Earl Thomas were set to unite when the time became right. After trade terms could not be agreed to between Dallas and the Seattle Seahawks, free agency felt like the nearest point where all of this could happen. Ultimately, though, when Earl Thomas became a free agent last offseason he wound up with the Baltimore Ravens.

Everything that has gone on with Jamal Adams has felt very similar to this point. While Adams never chased down a Cowboys coach saying “come get me”, there is no denying that there has been serious heat there as well. Dallas was in on Adams all the way up to the trade deadline last year.

Here we are in May of 2020 and the deja vu is real. Jamal Adams reportedly wants a new contract, the New York Jets are not ready to give him one, and that has plenty of people speculating over whether the Jets will move the All-Pro.

We have talked about Adams a couple of times already this offseason, but with this recent re-injection of news the question is out there again. What’s more is that the price has reportedly been set for Adams. Would you pay it?

New York reportedly wants a first- and third-rounder for Jamal Adams

When talking about whether or not the Cowboys should trade for Jamal Adams so much of the conversation obviously depends on the price. If it’s too high, that’s too much. If it’s not that bad, well do it already. There were reports that the Jets asked for either Zack Martin or Tyron Smith when the two teams talked last year but things seem to be different six months later.

Dallas did reportedly offer a first-round pick and Anthony Brown (who they re-signed this offseason) in talks with the Jets last year and that did not get the deal done. According to Michael Irvin, who is very close with Adams, via 105.3 The Fan’s RJ Choppy, New York wants a first- and third-round pick in exchange for Jamal Adams.

The first-round pick that Dallas did not wind up giving the Jets became CeeDee Lamb, so that is ultimately a very good thing and it shows the value that one pick can yield. Still though, if Dallas was prepared to offer a first-rounder back in late October and early November, would they be willing to up the offer with a third-rounder attached?

It is very much worth mentioning that many people believe that the Cowboys will receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2021 in exchange for Byron Jones. We have seen them deal future picks already here in 2020 as they sent a 2020 fifth-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles when they traded up to draft Tyler Biadasz.

Remember that Jamal Adams wants a new deal

Of course, it is also worth mentioning that the impasse between Adams and the Jets is that he wants a new contract. Adams will likely become the highest-paid safety in the NFL when he ultimately gets a new deal (Dallas has a lot of players paid at the top of their positions) and the Cowboys are currently in the middle of contract negotiations with Dak Prescott.

The Chicago Bears made Eddie Jackson the highest-paid safety in the league back in January. His deal was a four-year extension worth $58.4M with $33M guaranteed. That’s good enough for $14.6M per year, Jamal Adams will likely hit the $15M per year mark.

Altogether the Cowboys would have to, in this scenario, give up a first-round pick, third-round pick, and likely pay $15M per year if they want to acquire Jamal Adams’ services which is no easy pill to swallow. Remember that this is the Dallas Cowboys that we are talking about, a team that has shown absolutely no sign of committing to the safety position in recent history.

Dallas addressed a lot of needs and brought in a lot of talent this offseason, but again they did not place too high a priority on safety. They signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in free agency and wound up not drafting a single safety, sometimes things just don’t tend to work out a certain way.