49ers absolutely must avoid rumored veteran free-agent safety

The San Francisco 49ers have been linked to former Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets safety Jamal Adams.

While he used to be a very strong player prior to moving out to the NFC West, the Niners would be wise to steer clear of the veteran safety in free agency.

49ers absolutely must avoid temptation to sign Jamal Adams

Our own Peter Panacy has already written about the rumored interest from San Francisco. We have no idea whether this rumor is true, one that was originally reported by the Seattle Times, but let's break it down and hope that it is not true at all.

First off, let's try to imagine a world in which Adams on the 49ers makes sense. The Niners have a young safety group. Talanoa Hufanga will be entering his third season as a pro, Ji'Ayir Brown will be entering his second, and San Francisco drafted Malik Mustapha last week.

That makes for a fairly inexperienced safety group. The thinking may go that the 49ers need a veteran safety who can provide some depth at the position and also serve as a mentor for this young group of players.

That may make sense on paper, but in reality, the Niners should avoid Adams at all costs.

Adams was arguably one of the best safeties in the NFL when he was with the Jets. However, once he was traded to the Seahawks, his production dipped considerably.

Consider the fact that Adams never played a full season with the Seahawks and actually only played in 12 games each of his first two seasons, one game in 2022 and nine games last season. The Niners value dependability, and Adams simply does not provide that.

The Niners seem cofortable rolling with this young group of safeties they currently have. It is not as if they are relying on rookies. Hufanga seems like a veteran at this point, even though we will have to see how he fares coming off an ACL injury. Brown played well when his number was called last season, so he could definitely take a step forward. Mustapha seems like a solid pick who could contribute right away. Plus, they have veteran George Odum who primarily plays special teams but provides important safety depth.

Perhaps the team could benefit from adding a veteran safety on a cheap deal just as an added depth piece, but Adams is not the guy they want.

He is simply not the player he was nor is he on the field enough to warrant the 49ers signing him.

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