Getty Browns rookie Jedrick Wills.
Cleveland Browns rookie offensive tackle Jedrick Wills is learning in a hurry that everything he does on social media will be analyzed relentlessly, leading to much speculation — some warranted, some not.
An observant Twitter user saw that Wills had liked a tweet featuring New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, who requested a trade this week. So is the rookie angling to put Cleveland on Adams’ wishlist for a blockbuster deal?
“Just one of my idols,” Wills wrote on the Tweet pointing out his like.
The Browns took Wills with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft out of Alabama, hoping to fill one of their most glaring holes at left tackle. Safety was another hole for the Browns entering the offseason, but the team has bulked up their depth with the signings of Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph, while drafting LSU’s Grant Delpit in the second round.
Interestingly enough, Delpit has been dubbed “Baby Mal,” a shoutout to Adams — his predecessor with the Tigers.
“That’s what we call him,” current Browns corner Greedy Williams told USA Today in 2018 when the two were teammates at LSU. “Baby Jamal. He’s got that same swagger. He’s got that, you know, kind of a handsome look.”
Browns Have Long Odds to Land Jamal Adams
At one point, the Browns were suitors for Adams, who has formally asked the Jets for a trade.
“It’s time to move on,” Adams wrote on social media this week. “Let it go. Appreciate you guys. No hard feelings. Nothin but luv.”
However, oddsmakers feel like the most likely situation is that Adams stays put with the team that drafted him No. 6 overall in 2017. Sportsline has the odds that Adams stays put and starts the season with the Jets at -400.
The Browns are a long-shot to land Adams at +1000, while the Cowboys (+250) and Cleveland’s division rival Baltimore (+350) are the favorites.
Adams has made back to back Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro last season. He’d be a great addition for nearly any squad, but the Browns would have to consider the cost that would come with signing Adams, who wants a new deal that would set the bar for safeties. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Adams would want a contract “well above” $20 million per year. Bears safety Eddie Jackson currently has the highest annual salary at $14.6 million.
Jamal Adams’ future contract demands loom large in trade talks. If he wants pay among top defensive players – which one source whose team has looked into Adams believes – that’s well above $20M per year, while safety market is below $15M. Tough for a SS, no matter how good.
The Browns already have young defensive pieces they are planning paydays for, premier among those being Myles Garrett. The former No. 1 overall pick has been in negotiations with the Browns for a massive extension that would likely push him beyond the $25 million mark per season.
Jamal Adams Interested in Dallas Cowboys
GettyJamal Adams of the New York Jets
Adams was the subject of trade rumors last season as the Jets stumbled to a 7-9 record and didn’t take too kindly to them.
“When I heard that, my agent called me and told me what was going on, it definitely hurt me,” Adams said, per the New York Post. “I hold myself at a high level. The Rams don’t take calls on Aaron Donald. The Patriots don’t take calls on Tom Brady. You know what I mean? That’s where I hold myself in that regard.
“When you feel like you’re on the same page, and you have a meeting and you’re told something different, it sucks.”
@dallascowboys I got proof that Jamal Adams wants to come to Dallas
He has obviously changed his tune of late and was even caught telling a Cowboys fan “I’m trying bro” when asked if he was coming to Dallas, where he grew up.
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