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Baltimore Ravens – Cap Space: $7,127,038
This is a scary one for the rest of the league. Baltimore ranked 3rd in points per game allowed last season, 5th in rushing yards allowed and 6th in passing yards allowed. It is generally considered to have a top five D overall that has few holes, but it was only middle of the pack in 2019 in terms of sacks (21st with 37) and interceptions (12th with 13).
Adams could make the difference here and help Baltimore begin to resemble that suffocating defense of the early 2000s. Future Hall-of-Famer Earl Thomas, who attempted to engineer a similar trade away from the Seahawks in 2018 (coincidentally also to Dallas), would remain on the back end in what would easily become the best safety duo in the league.
So, could one of the best, if not the best, box safety in the league make the move to Baltimore? In a word, no. Baltimore will have no doubt done their due diligence on Adams, but there are too many parts that would make a move to Maryland prohibitive.
Firstly, Baltimore already have a more than competent starter at the strong safety position. Chuck Clark is a player on the upswing of his career who led the team in tackles last season, despite only starting 12 games. Clark’s tackle total (73) was actually only two fewer than Adams managed in a pair of additional games played.
Adams is a superior playmaker in the backfield, but the Ravens have made attempts to address their middling pass rush. Leading sack-artist Matt Judon was tagged this off season and free agent addition Derek Wolfe will play alongside exciting draft picks Justin Madubuike and Patrick Queen, all of which will help bolster a unit bereft of truly elite pass rushing terrors.
Furthermore, the cap situation in Baltimore will become a tricky one to navigate in the next 12 months or so. The incumbent Clark would need to be traded to make an Adams addition realistic. Clark carries a dead cap hit of over $10m in 2020 and has only just had his deal reupped for a total of $15.3m. The deal does have a realistic out after 2022, but it is an affordable deal that totals roughly what Jamal Adams would be looking for on a per-year basis. Baltimore also have extensions with Judon, Ronnie Stanley and Matt Skura to negotiate, not to mention the inevitable market setting deal that will be given to Lamar Jackson in 2022 on the horizon, leaving a deal for Adams almost impossible to contrive into reality.
Likelihood: 5/10
