Jamal Adams has had enough of playing on his rookie contract.
When the Jets selected Adams with the sixth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, he was given a four-year deal worth $22.3 million. The contract also includes a fifth-year option worth nearly $10 million that New York has already exercised.
Adams is no longer content with his current salary, though. Following a 2019 season in which he earned his first All-Pro nod, the former first-round pick wants more. In an effort to get what he wants, he is going after something only three other defensive players have earned: a contract extension after their third season in the NFL.
From 2011-17, only three out of 119 defensive players received an extension from the team that drafted them prior to their fourth season, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Those players are cornerback Patrick Peterson, outside linebacker Robert Quinn and defensive end J.J. Watt. Luke Keuchly came close to getting his extension after his third season, but he did not come to terms with the Panthers on a new deal until two days after the first game of his fourth season with the team.
Two of football’s best defenders, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack, played four years on their rookie deals before receiving extensions. Donald is a six-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Mack is a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016.
There is no doubt that Adams is an elite player and one of the best defensive backs in football. However, if Donald and Mack, two generational talents who play premium positions, did not get contract extensions after their third seasons, what makes Adams think Joe Douglas is going to come to terms on a deal with him? Players of Adams’ caliber don’t come around every day, but he plays a position that does not necessarily warrant the lucrative contract he is seeking.
The current state of the NFL economy complicates matters further. If no fans can attend games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams will lose out on stadium revenue, which could have a substantial effect on the 2021 salary cap. With such financial uncertainty looming, the Jets have no reason to expedite a deal with Adams. They were not planning on rushing into negotiations before the pandemic. They’re not going to change their tune now.
Adams does not play a position that offers him much leverage in negotiations. The fact that he is under contract for at least two more years puts him in an even worse position. In other words, don’t expect Adams to become the fourth first-round defensive pick to receive an extension before his fourth season in the NFL.