Were the Cowboys Smart to Pass on Jamal Adams Trade?

Would the contract have been an issue had Jamal Adams gotten his wish last July and been traded to Dallas?

Mike Fisher | Jun 17, 2021

FRISCO - Were the Dallas Cowboys right to pass on a trade for Jamal Adams?

The Seattle Seahawks are conducting mandatory minicamp this week and they are doing so without Adams, the standout safety who was swapped from the Jets to the Seahawks a year ago with the assumption that he’d eventually be given a new contract.

There may be ongoing contract negotiations. And there may be other reasons that Adams won't report to the three-day minicamp due to personal reasons.

But the contract for the 25-year old Adams, who will be entering the final year of his rookie contract and slated to make $9.86 million in 2021, is an issue.

Would it have been an issue had he gotten his wish last July and been traded to Dallas?

As we reported last spring and summer, Adams was willing to be “flexible” in his contact goals had he joined the Cowboys. How flexible is he willing to be now? All indications are that he desires to become the NFL's highest-paid safety, surpassing Broncos star Justin Simmons, who is currently making $15.25 million annually.

There has also been speculation that Adams views himself as “more than just a safety” and might want to be paid that way. Last season, he set an NFL record for sacks by a defensive back by totaling 9.5 sacks in just 12 games for Seattle. He also had 34 quarterback pressures, more than twice as many as any other NFL defensive backs.

The Cowboys recognized how special Adams is; their July 2020 interest was not their first exploration of a trade for the Hebron High and LSU product. But Dallas did not want to pay the Jets the price paid by the Seahawks, which included two first-round selections.

And now Seattle is figuring out how to pay another price for Jamal Adams. … while the Cowboys, featuring Donovan Wilson, Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse, are still figuring out how to get winning play at the safety position on the cheap.

Published Jun 17, 2021

MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.