Brian Dawkins 2.0: The Case for Jamal Adams

Make no mistake: Jamal Adams is a generational talent. It is no exaggeration to talk about him in the same breath as Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, and Tyrann Mathieu. In three years in the league he has yet to miss a single game, and has back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances to go with his 2019 First-Team All-Pro season.

Oh, and he’s 24 years old.

Like JR Smith’s case for LeBron James being the perennial NBA MVP, Adams will improve whichever defense he plays for in 2020.

Frustrated with contract negotiations, the defensive juggernaut is requesting a trade, listing the Eagles among his favorite landing places.

First and foremost, it is crucial to remember that football players have significantly less bargaining power in trade talks than most athletes in American professional sports. With that in mind, his request can be ignored entirely should New York decide to keep him.

But if his request is honored, the Eagles could have a solution to their secondary that would lock up the safety position for a decade. Lining up next to Rodney McLeod and giving fellow LSU-alum Jalen Mills the space to adjust to safety before inheriting the #2 spot further down the road, Adams would make the Eagles a fierce defensive unit.

However, his price tag will be be high. Not only would Howie Roseman have to ship serious capital to the Jets, he would have to meet Adams’ contractual demands shortly thereafter. If anyone can put the math together, it’s Howie, but pessimism about the logistics of acquiring the All-Pro is exceedingly warranted.

While Eagles fans should remain skeptical about landing Adams, they have every reason to fear the Cowboys as legitimate suitors. Adams had Dallas on his list, and Jerry Jones has a knack for making big-dollar deals regardless of their long term implications. Safety is an enormous weak spot for a team whose defense is the last thing holding them back. Jamal Adams in a Cowboys uniform is like Mike Trout in a Mets jersey: it simply cannot happen.

The next few days and weeks will clog the 94.1 WIP airwaves with debates over “should we trade Ertz for Adams?” and “Adams in Midnight Green?! Super Bowl champs confirmed!” Ultimately, Adams would be a franchise-changing addition to an already-strong Eagles defense, but the lasting impact of acquiring him is a cost benefit analysis. If Howie can find cap space and ship assets to New York that don’t put the team in a hole for five years, he has every reason to do so. A more worthwhile place to posit your fandom and sports energy is to hope and pray that, if it’s not the Eagles, Jamal Adams is not the face of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.