All-Pro safety Jamal Adams recently requested a trade from the New York Jets as the team has yet to meet his contract demands. The Kansas City Chiefs were among the eight teams Adams listed as preferred trade destinations. Here are three reasons why a Kansas City Chiefs Jamal Adams trade is unlikely.
The Likelihood of a Kansas City Chiefs Jamal Adams Trade
Salary Cap Implications
With the Jets unwilling to make Jamal Adams one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, the team trading for him will have to do so. Adams wants a contract extension in the range of $15 – $20 million per year. Currently, the Chiefs are in long-term contract negotiations with franchise-tagged defensive end Chris Jones. After 2021, the following players will be free agents looking for new contracts from the Chiefs: quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and offensive tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher. With all these players up for contract extensions soon, there is little room to sign Jamal Adams long-term at the price he deserves while maintaining salary cap flexibility into the future.
Team Need
A glance at the Kansas City Chiefs roster will show you that the Chiefs have an All-Pro safety of their own in Tyrann Mathieu. At the other safety spot is Juan Thornhill, a second-year starter. While Thornhill is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in December of 2019, he showed enough promise in his rookie year to make him the future at his position for the Chiefs. Thornhill’s replacement while sidelined is Daniel Sorensen, a player that showed he was capable of filling the void during Kansas City’s postseason run last year. This trio of safeties already on the roster lessens the immediate need and impact Jamal Adams would have for the Chiefs.
Trade Compensation
Given Adams’ status as one of the top players in the NFL, the trade compensation to acquire him will be substantial. It is unlikely that Kansas City includes a player in a trade with the Jets as they likely will be looking for draft picks in any trade. For a Chiefs franchise that projects to have late draft picks in every round, more picks will have to be included to compete with other franchises in the trade market. Such a trade is not a smart move for Kansas City who will need as many draft picks as possible in the next few years to offset the large contracts their players are in line for. The Kansas City Chiefs should not give up cost-controlled assets at this time.
While Jamal Adams is a talented player and should play for a team where he is happy, that team is not the Kansas City Chiefs.
