Nasir Adderley was set to become a free agent for the first time in his career in 2023. The 2019 second-round pick put together a serviceable four-year tenure with the LA Chargers that certainly would have earned him a pay raise in free agency.
Then he retired. Adderley walked away from the game ahead of his age-26 season. Adderley wasn't just another Tom Telesco draft pick who didn't earn a second contract with the Chargers; he was a Telesco draft pick who only lasted four years in the league.
That was Adderley's story up until the day after Super Bowl LX. Adderley announced his intention to return to the NFL in 2026, nearly four years after he played his last snap in the Chargers' playoff meltdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Adderley will almost certainly get a chance to earn a roster spot with an NFL team. And as it stands right now, his best seems rather obvious.
Nasir Adderlery has Dallas Cowboy written all over him
The former Chargers safety will take any job he can get in the NFL, but the one that stands head and shoulder above the rest as a fit is the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys represent the perfect intersection of connections and opportunity for Adderley. He's inherently connected to the team not just from his dad's three-year tenure five decades ago, but in Dallas' defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley. Ansley coached Adderley as LA's defensive backs coach in 2021 and 2022.
There is also an opportunity for Adderley to get playing time. Dallas has a thin secondary heading into the offseason both at cornerback and safety. WIth so many holes to fill, Jerry Jones has every reason to spend small on a flier with relatively low miles at safety.
The Cowboys enter the offseason with the third-highest salary cap obligation in the NFL. Dallas will create space with various moves but the team still has to operate in the fringes. Adderley coming out of retirement gives the Cowboys a great opportunity to do that.
There is also a theoretical fit for Adderley in New Orleans with former head coach Brandon Staley, but that seems less likely. Former Chargers players have consistently said poor things about Staley's defense in the past, so it's hard to assume Adderley is chomping at the bit to play for him once more.
A Chargers reunion is almost definitely off the table. There are no existing strings connecting Adderley to the Chargers, who have other players they need to bring back at safety.
Anything can happen and time will tell where Adderley ends up, but all roads point to Jerry's World.