Why the Buccaneers should pull the trigger on Jamal Adams
By Rob Leeds
With it seeming like the Jamal Adams negotiations have soured in New York, the Buccaneers need to make an offer for the star safety soon.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have always been a dark horse candidate to land safety Jamal Adams, but if they want to make the deal work (and they should), an offer should be made today.
While most of the buzz is surrounding the Dallas Cowboys, the Buccaneers could be in a better position to pay Adams the money he wants. With Dallas stuck in negotiations with Dak Prescott, bringing in Jamal Adams to pay him seems uncharacteristic after just letting Byron Jones walk in free agency.
The Buccaneers aren’t in a great position cap-wise, but after this season, it would be much easier to get Adams the money that he wants. A single year in Tampa to finish out his rookie deal would only drum up Adams’ price further, but Tampa Bay could make more moves to make the deal happen.
The reason why the Buccaneers need to jump on this opportunity is that they don’t have a set strong safety yet. Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards will fight it out for the starting spot during training camp, but Adams would be a steep improvement over either.
According to Gary Myles, who has covered the Cowboys, the Jets want a first-round pick and a third for Adams, as seen in the tweet below.
The Bucs should think nothing more on the matter and should make that offer today. The Buccaneers will have very few pressing needs next year if free agency continues to go well, and using that draft capital will go much further if it is used on a player like Adams.
Tampa Bay may have to restructure some contracts down the road or move on from some of its pricier players, but any moves that bring Adams to Tampa should be a priority.
A first and a third is a steal for a player of this caliber, and if Tampa Bay really is pushing for a Super Bowl during the next two years, a player like Jamal Adams would take the defense to the next level.