It’s been quite the offseason for Joe Douglas.
He had his first free agency period, his first draft and… his first superstar contract dispute! After months of reports about the future of Jamal Adams, including plenty of fiery comments – both public and private – Douglas finally shipped the safety to Seattle for a bounty.
Douglas addressed the media Monday just two days after the trade. Douglas addressed why and how the Adams deal went down, how he felt about Adams’ public criticisms of both himself and Adam Gase and what he thinks about the future of the team.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Douglas’ conference call.
Douglas never promised Adams a new deal
Joe Douglas emphatically denied Adams’ assertion that the Jets weren’t honest about their contract negotiations with him this offseason.
“I never promised an offer to Jamal or his agent,” Douglas said. “I was never dishonest or ambiguous.”
Much of Adam’s frustrations with the Jets this offseason revolved around the team’s unwillingness to give him a contract extension offer. Adams said he talked with the Jets during the NFL combine about an extension, but those negotiations never progressed to the point of the Jets actually offering Adams a new deal. That angered Adams and led to multiple social media rants in which he bashed the team. His frustrations culminated in an explosive interview with the New York Daily News, in which Adams implied Douglas wasn’t honest about his intentions to pay Adams this offseason.
Douglas added that the Jets “weren’t in a position to do anything immediately” with Adams because of the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap.
“I think the communication from my standpoint was pretty clear,” Douglas said.