Dallas Cowboys: Jamal Adams trade talks could be heating up

Rumored to have trade interest in Jamal Adams last year, could the Dallas Cowboys swoop in and nab the talented safety amidst a contract dispute?

One of the areas of concern heading into this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys was at the safety position. This has been a long-standing issue with America’s Team as the previous coaching regime didn’t appear to value the position as much as others.

In fact, the last time the Cowboys spent anything higher than a Day Three selection on a safety in the NFL draft was 2013. Dallas selected Georgia Southern’s J.J. Wilcox with the second of their third-round picks that year.

The last time the Cowboys used a first-round selection on a safety was 2002. That was Oklahoma’s Roy Williams who was the eighth overall pick. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Dallas hasn’t attempted to use a recent first rounder to acquire a safety.

According to an unnamed source, the Cowboys contacted the New York Jets about a possible trade for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams back in October of last year. Those talks quickly dissolved when the Jets apparently asked for All-Pro offensive lineman Zack Martin or Tyron Smith as part of the exchange. It was rumored the Cowboys were willing to offer a future first-round pick and cornerback Anthony Brown to acquire Adams.

The suspected talks never bore any fruit and the Cowboys entered this offseason still needing a playmaker at the position. Dallas lost longtime starting safety Jeff Heath to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency earlier this year. And the Cowboys signed veteran Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to help fortify the position.

Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cowboys were believed to be interested in the top safety prospects, Alabama’s Xavier McKinney and LSU’s Grant Delpit. Instead, Dallas used their first-round selection on Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Both Delpit and McKinney were long gone by the time the Cowboys picked again in the second round.

In fact, the Cowboys didn’t use a single draft pick on a safety this year. Instead, Dallas seemed willing to roll with the players already on the roster like Clinton-Dix, Xavier Woods, Darian Thompson, and Donovan Wilson. There was also some speculation that the Cowboys could convert one or more of the 12 cornerbacks currently on the roster to safety as well.

But recently, there have been reports that Adams and Jets have reached a possible breaking point in their longterm contract negotiations. The talented safety is under contract through 2021, but apparently wants a new deal in place before the start of the season. And that might lead the the team revisiting those trade talks from last year.

Considering the Cowboys’ inability to upgrade the safety position this offseason, you’d have to believe they’d still be interested in trading for Adams. And according to former NFL Insider for both the Dallas Morning News and the New York Daily News, Gary Myers, a source tells him the Cowboys are still very interested.

At this point, the Dallas Cowboys renewed interest in Jamal Adams is purely speculation. And according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater, a source tells her the Cowboys are still not in on this.

But it would be hard to imagine their being any NFL team not interested in potentially acquiring a player like Adams. After all, the sixth overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft is already a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler who is yet to enter his prime at just 24-years of age. Last season, Adams recorded 74 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, one interception, and a defensive touchdown in 14 games for New York.