Jamal Adams is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and there's no question he would be a major upgrade for the 49ers if they somehow were able to acquire the All-Pro safety.
It would be tremendously difficult for San Francisco to fit Adams into the team's current financial structure, particularly given the expected drop in the salary cap due to the loss of league revenue resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Not to mention, the lofty acquiring cost that likely would include a combination of players and/or draft picks.
The chances are less than slim that it will happen, and the 49ers won't make the same mistake the Los Angeles Rams did in selling the farm for Jalen Ramsey. However, if the stars align for San Francisco to acquire Adams for a somewhat reasonable price, at least two prerequisites must be satisfied.
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First, Adams has to want to join the 49ers. He already reportedly included them on the list of teams he would accept a trade to, so that box is checked.
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Additionally, the Jets likely will only part with Adams when they give up on their hopes of keeping him around. That might never happen, but the more dissatisfaction Adams expresses with New York, the more untenable the situation will become.
And lately, it seemingly has become more untenable by the day.
On Wednesday, Adams took to Twitter to express his displeasure with Jets owner Woody Johnson in response to a report alleging that Johnson made racist and sexist remarks while serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Then, on Friday morning, the New York Daily News published an exclusive interview in which Adams told Manish Mehta that the Jets never made him a contract offer this offseason, and made it quite clear that he is not a fan of coach Adam Gase.
"I don’t feel like he’s the right leader for this organization to reach the promised land,” Adams said. “As a leader, what really bothers me is that he doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building. At the end of the day, he doesn’t address the team. If there’s a problem in the locker room, he lets another coach address the team. If we’re playing s----y and we’re losing, he doesn’t address the entire team as a group at halftime. He’ll walk out of the locker room and let another coach handle it."
San Francisco 49ers
Not great, if you're a Jets fan. If you want Adams on the 49ers, though, it can't hurt.
[RELATED: Report: 49ers, Seahawks have talked Adams trade with Jets]
There are many reasons why Adams might find the 49ers attractive, and coach Kyle Shanahan certainly seems to take a different -- and far more direct -- approach with his players that Adams might respect.
That doesn't mean the 49ers will trade for him. But the more volatile Adams' relationship with Gase and the organization becomes, the more the chances improve, however small they might be.