Typically when a team and a player cannot come to terms on a new contract, it is the team that is to blame.
Front offices are known for doing everything in their power to save money when they can. Whether it be not meeting a player’s salary demands or not hitting the spot with certain incentives, executives are usually the reason why negotiations go off the rails and a player winds up requesting a trade.
That is not the case with Jamal Adams and the Jets.
Ever since Joe Douglas did his job by picking up the phone and listening when the Dallas Cowboys called about Adams at the trade deadline in October, New York’s All-Pro safety has been kicking and screaming despite lacking any real leverage. He claimed Douglas went behind his back by “shopping” him when, in reality, all Douglas did was what he is supposed to do as an NFL general manager — listen to trade offers.
“My message was clear, that Jamal was an absolute stud and we’re not interested in moving him,” Douglas said at the time. “Teams continued to call. I was always taught where I’m from, if a team calls, you listen to what they have to say.”
Adams eventually got over what he thought was a backstabbing, but the fact remained that he wanted a contract extension and he wanted it as soon as possible — even though he had two years left on his rookie deal and the Jets had team control with the ability to franchise tag him beyond his initial contract with the team. Keep in mind, future salary cap numbers are uncertain due to the ongoing pandemic.
Once the regular season ended, Adams returned to his petulant ways, openly campaigning for a new contract on social media. After saying on Instagram the Jets were “A lot of talk no action” in negotiations last week, things ultimately hit the fan on Thursday, with Adams requesting a trade out of the Big Apple.
Could the Jets have handled their negotiations with Adams a bit better? Probably. If Douglas had no intention of extending Adams right away, he shouldn’t have suggested that he was following the NFL draft.
With that being said, there is no doubt that Adams and his camp are as much to blame for the fiasco currently engulfing One Jets Drive as anyone else.
After Adams demanded his trade, reports surfaced that there were certain teams he was willing to play for without a contract extension right away. If Adams actually wanted to stay in New York and play for the Jets as he has said he wants to do time and again, why is it that he would be content waiting for a contract extension from another team, but not the Jets?
It makes perfect sense as to why the Jets were in no rush to extend him. What is the point in breaking the bank for a player you have multiple years of team control over? Patrick Mahomes has yet to be extended and he won the Chiefs a Super Bowl in 2019. Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack — two NFL Defensive Players of the Year — also did not receive extensions after the third year of their rookie deals. None of those players took to Twitter or Instagram to throw tantrums because they weren’t being extended at that time.
Adams has staked his claim as a leader in the locker room ever since joining the Jets in 2017. What kind of a leader refuses to go to battle with his teammates until his pockets are full, but is content leaving for an entirely new organization that might not even pay him right away? One who is “all talk no action.”
It’s okay for a player to want what he’s worth, but the message gets muddied when you’re willing to make concessions for a hypothetical team you don’t even play for.
Maybe Adams doesn’t want to be in New York anymore. Maybe he wants to finally play for a winner instead of a team that falls short every year. If that’s the case, then it is what it is and there is not much the Jets can do about it. However, if this is about money and having an issue with the way New York has approached negotiations, Adams and his representation need to take a long look in the mirror and realize their role in all of this.
They’re just as much to blame as anyone for this circus.