Latest On Jets, Jamal Adams
The Jets thought about trading Jamal Adams before the deadline, but, ultimately, they held on to him. After the dust settled, Adams took to social media to clear the air.
Well, sort of:
“At the end of the week last week, I sat down with the GM [Joe Douglas] and coach [Adam] Gase and told them I want to be here in New York,” Adams said, on Twitter. “I was told yesterday by my agent that the GM then went behind my back and shopped me around to teams, even after I asked him to keep me here! Crazy business. Any reports of me asking to be traded from the New York Jets are completely false.”
Even though Adams was not traded before the bell rang on Tuesday, the rumble is just getting started. Douglas attempted to clarify that this is a miscommunication, indicating the Jets listened to offers for Adams — rather than shop him around (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). Adams tweeted he did not ask the Jets for a trade.
Ultimately, the Jets’ asking price was too high for either the Cowboys or Ravens. Douglas sought a first-rounder and two seconds for the standout safety, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Cowboys offered a first and a Day 3 pick, Jane Slater of NFL.com adds (via Twitter). The Cowboys contacted the Jets on Adams, according to Charles Robinson on Yahoo.com (on Twitter), backing up Douglas’ account.
Under Jets control through 2021, via the sure-to-be-exercised fifth-year option come May, Adams has emerged as one of the NFL’s top safeties. Considering the Cowboys would not part with more than a second-rounder for Earl Thomas last year, the team offering a first-rounder and change shows the ascending defender’s stock. But it’s clear the Jets will have to mend fences with Adams after this development, which ended up being the top news on a slow deadline day.
Eagles Eyeing Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr.
The Eagles have called the Broncos about Chris Harris Jr., according to sources who spoke with Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). At this time, however, their asking price is too high.
The Broncos are paper thin at cornerback, but they also have no real shot at contention this year. With a chance to add to their draft stockpile, they could move Harris to a team that could put the veteran to good use, like the Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have no plans to trade Von Miller, sources tell Russini (Twitter link). The former Super Bowl MVP and perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher is signed through the 2021 season. Harris, however, is in a contract year and expressed a desire to test the market after a weeks-long holdout this offseason.
Denver landed Harris as a 2011 UDFA and paired the slot defender with Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby in 2014. While that trio helped the Broncos to the 2015 title, Harris is now the team’s only reliable corner. The four-time Pro Bowler could profile as a player the Broncos would like to extend, despite Harris being 30, due to an inability to find cornerbacks since that 2014 offseason. However, the Broncos are staring at a rebuild and have only a handful of starters from their Super Bowl team left. They traded Emmanuel Sanders last week.
Philadelphia finished second in the Jalen Ramsey derby and inquired on Detroit’s Darius Slay. It’s clear Howie Roseman recognizes his group of corners could use help, with the Eagles’ pass defense having struggled for much of this season. Harris has traveled with No. 1 wide receivers this year, as opposed to locking down the slot, so that would obviously be a key asset for a team looking to get back in the surefire contender mix. The Eagles have been in on Harris for a bit now but may have to deal a second-round pick to acquire him.
Jets, Cowboys Discussed Jamal Adams Trade
The Cowboys inquired on Jets safety Jamal Adams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, there will be no deal – the asking price proved to be too high for the Cowboys, Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) hears.
The Jets were open to dealing big-name players at the deadline and Adams – a Texas native –was open to a change of scenery.
“I know he wants to play [for the Cowboys]. I know he wants to go home,” former NFL safety Ryan Clark told ESPN. “This is from speaking to him.”
[RELATED: Jets Trade Leonard Williams To Giants]
The Jets’ high asking price was and is understandable. They wanted a first-round pick and then some for their high-end safety, Rapoport tweets. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have balked in giving up major assets for a safety for two offseasons now, so making another trade involving a first-rounder — after 2018’s Amari Cooper swap — was a scary proposition.
Adams is one of the very best young safeties in the game, but he ranks just 19th in salary. That means the Cowboys, or any other team acquiring Adams, would have had to give him a pay bump. The Jets, meanwhile, were thinking about allocating those dollars in different areas. For now, the Adams Era continues in New York, even as the Jets continue to struggle.
The Cowboys flirted with significant safety upgrades over the years, but they never closed on Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, or the other Pro Bowlers linked to Dallas. Adams would have arguably been the greatest get of ’em all, due to his age and rookie contract.
The Jets may be star-crossed and, at times, downright dreadful, but Adams has been nothing but stellar throughout his young career. The former No. 6 overall pick turned in a strong rookie year, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, and, so far, he’s stopped defenders 39 times in 2019. Pro Football Focus presently has him ranked as the seventh-best safety in the league – ahead of Thomas and other multiple-time Pro Bowlers.
Chargers Fire OC Ken Whisenhunt
Ken Whisenhunt‘s second stint with the Chargers has come to an end. The team announced tonight that they have fired their offensive coordinator.
“This is not an easy decision and definitely not one that I take lightly,” said head coach Anthony Lynn. “You win as a team, and you lose as a team. It’s never about just one person. At the end of the day, however, I simply felt a change was needed at this time. I want to thank Ken for his years of service to the Chargers organization and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
The Chargers hired Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator back in 2016. This was the coach’s second stint with the organization, as he previously served as offensive coordinator between his tenures as the Cardinals and Titans head coach. The Chargers offense saw a bit of a renaissance upon Whisenhunt’s hiring, as the team finished fourth in yards during the 2017 campaign and sixth in points during the 2018 campaign.
However, the offense has struggled a bit in 2019, as the team ranks towards the bottom-half of the league in yards (17th), points (23rd), and giveaways (20th). This could partly be attributed to the inconsistent running game, especially following Melvin Gordon‘s return; the Chargers are currently bottom-10 in most rushing categories. The team hasn’t scored more than 20 points since their late-September win over the Dolphins, and they narrowly avoided a four-game losing streak this past weekend.
Redskins Open To Trading Trent Williams
Better late than never. The Redskins are now open to trading Trent Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The asking price: a first-round pick, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). 
Williams has been vocal about his desire to get out of D.C. since the offseason, but the Redskins refused to deal him. Now, with 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, they’re at least listening to offers. They’ve begun the process of looking at potential suitors, Rapoport hears, which means that a deal could come together before the buzzer.
Washington has informed teams it has a second-rounder on the table from an unknown team, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. With the team moving off its stance of trading Williams in the offseason at the 11th hour, it certainly seems like the 10th-year blocker will have a new home soon.
The Redskins’ asking price is currently unknown, but they could probably command a decent return given the dearth of quality tackles across the league. If Williams is healthy, he’d automatically represent a colossal upgrade to any front five in the NFL.
The Browns’ pursuit of Williams has been well-documented and they would be a logical partner for Bruce Allen & Co. The Patriots would also make ample sense, though they recently gave up a second-round pick for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. It’s not clear whether the Pats would be willing to cough up more to land Williams, but it stands to reason that they’ll at least consider it.
Williams, for his part, is planning to show up for work by Week 10 in order for 2019 to count as an accrued season. Whether he’s healthy enough to play by then is a separate matter.
Dolphins To Trade Kenyan Drake To Cardinals
The Cardinals have reached agreement on a trade to acquire Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, the Dolphins will acquire a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020 that can become a fifth-rounder. 
Drake will help to reinforce a Cardinals RB group that badly needs the support. Star David Johnson is expected to miss this week’s game due to an ankle injury and Chase Edmonds, a key fill-in, suffered a hamstring injury of his own over the weekend. Drake now figures to see significant work against the 49ers on Thursday night.
Drake gives the Cardinals a clear boost in the near term, but he does not necessarily give them a building block for 2020 and beyond. He’ll be a free agent after the season, so they’ll have some work to do if Drake impresses in the second half of the season. For the here and now: the Cardinals seem to believe in their roster and like their chances of climbing out of a 3-4-1 hole.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, seem to be keeping their eyes on the prize – a top draft pick in 2020. With no hope of contending this year, they’ve bolstered their draft capital and unloaded a player who was unlikely to suit up again in Miami.
Drake did not travel with the Dolphins for tonight’s game against the Steelers, a move that foretold a Drake deal. The Lions and Titans were linked to Drake, but the Cardinals seem to have wanted him more.
Miami’s bottom-tier offensive line has struggled this season, and Drake is averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. However, the former third-round pick posted 4.8- and 4.5-yard YPC averages in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Drake, 25, has not rushed for 50 yards in a game this season, but he surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a part-time role last year and has just 333 career carries under his belt.
Jets Release Kelechi Osemele
The Kelechi Osemele saga took another turn Saturday. The Jets released the veteran guard, who recently underwent a shoulder surgery that has been a point of contention between he and the team.
Osemele is set to miss the rest of the season, and this transaction will be a key point in an off-field battle between the eighth-year guard and the Jets. Gang Green promoted linebacker James Burgess from its practice squad to take Osemele’s roster spot.
With this move coming instead of an IR designation, a grievance will follow. A $579K fine came Osemele’s way last week, with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reporting the Jets docked him a full game check — the maximum amount possible in this case. Osemele was set to earn $5.2MM over the rest of this season, which contained a $9.85MM base salary.
“The Jets owe him the balance of his contract both under the standard injury guarantee provision of the player contract and under termination pay. We will pursue … all fines to be rescinded through grievances,” said Andrew Kessler, one of Osemele’s agents (Twitter link via Cimini).
The Jets acquired the 30-year-old blocker from the Raiders this offseason, with the move requiring only a Day 3 draft pick. The two-time Pro Bowler started in three Jets games but did so despite shoulder pain. He left the Jets’ Week 3 game due to the injury and said he needed surgery. The Jets pivoted to Alex Lewis at left guard but soon contested Osemele’s stance, with reports circulating the team and doctors believed he could play through the pain. Osemele’s camp insisted that was not the case, indicating even painkillers were not allowing him to perform effectively. A successful surgery commenced Friday.
The NFLPA announced it would back Osemele in this process, which has certainly accelerated Saturday. The former second-round pick was playing on the then-guard-record five-year, $58.5MM deal he signed with the Raiders in 2016. Osemele was due an $11.35MM non-guaranteed base salary next season, but the Jets were expected to release him after this season. Osemele’s team and the NFLPA are also considering to-be-determined actions against the Jets’ team doctors, with the surgery revealing more damage than anticipated.
This saga has not painted the Jets in the best light, with the issue raising eyebrows among current Jets players and respective agents. The team is unlikely to prevail in the forthcoming grievance, barring evidence indicating Osemele encountered the injury away from the team or sought surgery in order to preserve himself for free agency, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap tweets.
Patriots Trade Michael Bennett To Cowboys
Michael Bennett got his wish. On Thursday, the Patriots agreed to trade the defensive end to the Cowboys for a seventh-round pick that can turn into a sixth-round choice in 2021, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Bennett clashed with Pats brass earlier this month and led to an argument between him and defensive line coach Bret Bielema. Soon after, the veteran received a one-game suspension for airing his frustrations, which stemmed from a perceived lack of playing time.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has never been one to tolerate shenanigans and isn’t big into sentimentality. The team was high on Bennett after acquiring him from the Eagles in March – and even gave him a pay bump – but they haven’t had much use for him this year. The defensive end appeared in six games, but started just once. In three of those games, he saw less than 20 defensive snaps. In his last time out, against the Giants, he didn’t see the field until the second quarter.
“On Friday, I had a philosophical disagreement with my position coach that has led to my suspension,” Bennett said in a statement. “I apologize to my teammates for any distraction this may have caused.”
Apparently, the distraction was enough to earn him a one-way ticket out of Foxboro. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now have a stronger DE rotation that features Bennett, Demarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn, Kerry Hyder, and Dorance Armstrong. Losing Tyrone Crawford for the year wasn’t ideal, but the Cowboys have gained back a lot of ground by adding Bennett to the mix.
In 2018, Bennett tallied nine sacks for Philly, marking his highest total since 2015. So far this year, the three-time Pro Bowler has 2.5 sacks on the stat sheet, giving him 65.5 in total across ~9.5 seasons.
The Cowboys are on their bye this week, so Bennett will have plenty of time to get acclimated and learn the new playbook. Then, on Monday Nov. 4, he’ll get to don his new threads for the first time when the Cowboys face the Giants. Fun fact: He faced the Giants twice last year and notched a sack in each game.
NFLPA Supports Kelechi Osemele
The Jets and Kelechi Osemele disagree on the best treatment for his injured shoulder. Osemele plans to have surgery to repair it while Jets team doctors feel that it’s an unnecessary procedure and the franchise has fined the offensive lineman for conduct detrimental to the team as a result of the disagreement. Now, the NFL Players Association has weighed in (via Twitter).
“Our union supports every player’s right to a second medical opinion, workers’ compensation and the best medical care,” the statement reads. “It is not appropriate or ethical for employers in any line of work to dictate the medical care and treatment of any employee. We are considering all options to protect Kelechi Osemele, as we would for any of our members.”
Jets coach Adam Gates has refused to comment on the situation. “I haven’t been involved in this. My job is coaching the team,” Gase said (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). Per Cimini, Osemele hasn’t spoken to Gase in “weeks” but the guard has no beef with the coach.
Patriots WR Josh Gordon’s Future Uncertain, Placed On IR
For a moment it appeared that Josh Gordon‘s season is over. On Wednesday, the Patriots placed the wide receiver on injured reserve with a knee injury (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). However, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweeted out that Gordon believes he is close to returning to play. Garafolo opines that “he’s likely done with the #Patriots but could be available for teams as a free agent soon.”
According to Albert Breer of MMQB.com, that a source says Gordon should be medically cleared to play soon. Mentioning that his injury is minor and he recently ran at 22 miles per hour on a treadmill in a recent workout.
Gordon was forced out of the Patriots’ Thursday night win over the Giants a few weeks back and was unable to take the field against the Jets. The Pats did just fine without him against Gang Green, but the injury pushed them to trade for Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu on Tuesday. At the time, the trade was a bit of a head-scratcher. Now, it makes more sense. The Patriots are down a second-round pick after the deal, but they have a quality replacement for Gordon in Sanu.
This development is the next chapter in Gordon’s rollercoaster career. Back in 2013, Gordon was asserting himself as one of the best receivers in football. Even within a mediocre Browns offense, Gordon made 87 receptions for nine touchdowns and a league best 1,646 receiving yards. What fans at the time failed to realize was Gordon’s ongoing battle with substance abuse.
Gordon’s difficulties with substances, especially marijuana, combined with the NFL’s severe substance abuse policy led him to receive numerous suspensions, including a year long ban for the 2015 season. He attempted to return to the Browns in 2016, but failed another drug test and eventually stepped away, missing another season.
He finally returned to the field in 2017 where he appeared in five games for Cleveland and hauled in 18 receptions for 335 yards. In 2018, after starting the season with the Browns, the Patriots decided to take a flier on the receiver and he was in the midst of a productive season before he once again had to step away from football for his own mental health.
The future is once again uncertain for Gordon. Assuming the Patriots do grant Gordon’s release, now that Sanu and Emmanuel Sanders have been traded, other teams in the market for receiving upgrades would surely line up to give Gordon another opportunity.