The NFL continues to hold an advantage over other sports as it was able to finish its season prior to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the league has been enjoying its offseason through this time without having to sacrifice any games.
With that being said, the season is fast approaching, and there is a newfound concern that the league may not be able to start on time. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that they may need a system similar to the NBA (where the whole league is played in a confined area) to resume safely.
Still, the league hopes to resume as normal, and it certainly hasn’t stopped other news from around the league from circulating. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from the last week.
Adams Asks For Trade
It has been a tumultuous relationship as of late between Jamal Adams, the All-Pro safety, and the New York Jets. While the Jets would like to keep Adams long-term, they have not exactly acted accordingly when it comes to discussing an extension to his rookie contract (one that keeps him in the organization through the 2021 season).
After months of bitterness, it appears that Adams is ready to move on. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that Adams had requested a trade.
It also appears that he has come up with a list of preferred destinations that included the 49ers, Chiefs, Ravens, Cowboys, Texans, Eagles and Seahawks, with all but Dallas being a playoff team a season ago.
At just 24 (he will turn 25 in October), Adams has already had a stellar start to his career just three seasons in. Last season, in 14 games with the Jets, he had 75 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception (that was returned for a touchdown).
He will most definitely be heavily sought after if made available. As of the time of this writing, though, the Jets had still not granted him permission to seek out a trade. Regardless, it appears that the relationship has gotten to the point that the safety could be roaming the secondary for a different team in the fall.
Samuel Could Miss Beginning Of Season
The San Francisco 49ers got some bad news earlier this week. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that Deebo Samuel, the talented wide receiver, broke his foot and will require surgery that could sideline him for the next three to four months.
As a result, Samuel will likely miss the beginning of the season, but shouldn’t be out for too long. Granted, this all depends on whether a season can start on time, but it is obviously a blow for the 49ers as they look to return to the Super Bowl this upcoming season.
Last year, in 15 games, Samuel had 57 receptions for 802 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 14 times for 159 yards and an additional three touchdowns.
With the loss of Emmanuel Sanders to the New Orleans Saints, Samuel was expected to be one of the top receivers for the 49ers this year, but with the injury, he at least won’t start the season that way.
Shanahan Gets Extension From 49ers
Speaking of the San Francisco 49ers, they made other news this week as they tied head coach Kyle Shanahan up long-term with a six-year extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Technically, Shanahan will just be tied up for three years longer than he would have been as this new six-year extension replaces the old contract, but it is still quite a commitment.
It isn’t hard to see why they were willing to make such a commitment, though, as Shanahan led the 49ers to an NFC championship before coming up short to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Behind a strong defense and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, Shanahan and the 49ers hope that they can return to the Super Bowl again.
