New York Jets
With the Seattle Seahawks offering such a considerable trade package for Jamal Adams, it made plenty of sense for the New York Jets to agree to a deal. There will be a clear net decline in key defensive areas in 2020 without the All-Pro safety no longer in the unit.
It’s important to not count the Jets’ defense out too much because Bradley McDougald is a solid veteran at the safety spot. He’s not quite as dynamic or as versatile of a player as Adams, but they aren’t being left with a empty spot on the depth chart after the trade.
It was already going to be tough for the Jets to stack up with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in 2020 even with Adams. Now, they will likely have substantial difficulty winning those direct matchups, making the playoffs seem largely improbable.
Putting the defense aside for a moment, the Jets need to see progress in the development in Sam Darnold in addition to a strong bounce-back from Le’Veon Bell. If that fails to occur, it would be time to consider making changes and they now are better equipped to get that done.
There is plenty of reason to be intrigued about the long-term possibilities for the Jets following the Adams trade. The best-case scenario is the offense manages to show real progress with Darnold proving to be a franchise-quarterback. Then the offseason would be about adding pieces to their core.
