The New York Jets could look to flip a recently benched starter.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said on the “Flight Deck” podcast, “Tony Adams, I don’t know if you could get anything for him in a trade; he just got benched this week, but I do know [Robert] Saleh likes him. The [San Francisco] 49ers showed some interest in Adams during free agency. So maybe that is another one to keep an eye out for.”
“I do think the Jets will do some sort of dealing at the deadline,” Cimini added.
Things Haven’t Gone Well for Adams This Season
Adams, 26, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
He has appeared in 46 games and has made 31 starts during his three and a half years in the NFL. Adams has collected four interceptions, 13 pass deflections, a sack, 202 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.
This offseason, he returned to the team on a one-year restricted free agent tender for $3.26 million. He had been a starter in four of the five weeks of the season, but in Week 6, he was benched against the Denver Broncos in favor of rookie Malachi Moore.
“Adams’ start to the season has been nothing short of embarrassing. His 48.4 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus is the lowest among the team’s safeties … Adams has fared no better against the run. He owns a 45.6 grade in run defense from PFF, one of the bottom marks among qualified safeties, and has missed more than 21% of his tackle attempts, an alarming rate for a starting safety. In coverage this year, he has allowed receivers to gain an average of 15 yards when passes are thrown in his direction, the 15th-worst mark among 103 qualified safeties this season,” Connor Long of Jets X-Factor explained on October 2.
Saleh Has a History With Adams That Could Play a Factor at the Trade Deadline
Former Jets head coach and now 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has a man crush on Adams.
He discovered Adams as an undrafted free agent, he made the team as a rookie, and eventually became a full-time starter.
“I guess the cat is coming out of the bag a little bit. Tony has an unbelievable mental makeup to him. An undrafted free agent who unseated a bunch of guys who we thought were going to make the team last year. He made it impossible for us to cut him. He does everything we ask of him. [Adams’] effort, strain, communication, football IQ, all of it is pretty damn good,” Saleh said in July of 2023.
The Jets can’t expect to get much value in a trade for a player they just benched, but receiving anything would be a plus. Adams is in the last year of his contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
At 0-6, the Jets seriously have to evaluate all of the players on the roster, especially the ones who are in the last years of their contracts. You might as well get something for players that you don’t envision a long-term future with.
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