Safety: Jamal Adams, New York Jets
He doesn’t get a ton of credit because, well, he plays for the New York Jets. And yet, Jamal Adams has quietly emerged as one of the NFL’s best young safeties. So don’t be surprised when Gang Green decides to pay him as such.
Adams just does it all with the Jets. Whether he’s making big plays in the passing game or stepping up to stuff the run, there just doesn’t seem to be anything he can’t do for the New York defense. To top it off, Adams is an outstanding leader who has quickly proven himself capable of upping the game of everyone around him.
While Adam Gase may be wary of the money that’s been spent on Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley, he shouldn’t have too many concerns over inking Adams to a monstrous contract in the near future. The only hesitation I had towards putting him atop this list was that he still has two years left on his rookie deal. Others may come before him, but I’m going to ignore that fact for now.
Even if someone else strikes gold first, Adams will absolutely set the market for safeties when his number is called. The Jets owe him that much, especially after everything he’s done for this defense (and locker room) during his first two campaigns in the Big Apple.