The Jets are experiencing a bit of déjà vu this offseason.
Jamal Adams’ desire for a new contract or a trade is eerily similar to Darrelle Revis’ two contract disputes during his time in New York. Each one ended differently for him and the Jets, and they offer a stark reminder of what could happen if Gang Green decides to sign or trade Adams.
Much like Adams, Revis sought a new contract three years after the Jets drafted him in the first round. Revis held out for most of the team’s offseason workouts and missed all of the preseason in 2010 before then-GM Mike Tannenbaum handed Revis a four-year, $32 million contract.
Revis and Adams each had good reasons for wanting new deals so early in their careers. Both were/are coming off their second-consecutive Pro Bowl season and first All-Pro selection. The defensive backs established themselves as one of the best at their respective positions. Revis and Adams also had/have familial influences fueling their standoffs. In 2010, Revis was advised by his uncle, Sean Gilbert, a former defensive lineman in the NFL who skipped an entire season in search of a new contract. Adams, meanwhile, knows long-term security is incredibly important as early as possible after his father, George Adams, had his career cut short by injury.
Revis rewarded the Jets with two more All-Pro seasons in New York after his new deal, but another contract dispute loomed in 2012 when Revis hinted he might hold out again. Revis ended up attending training camp that offseason but missed all but two games of the 2012 season after tearing his ACL in Week 2.
The Jets and Revis couldn’t come to an agreement after the 2012 season while Revis rehabbed from his injury, so the Jets opted to trade the star cornerback to the Buccaneers before the 2013 season. He signed a mega six-year, $96 million deal with the Bucs that included no guaranteed money. The Jets received the Buccaneers’ 2013 first-round pick – which they used on Sheldon Richardson – and a 2014 fourth-round pick – which they used on Jalen Saunders.
Then-GM John Idzik’s reason for trading Revis in 2013 sounds like something Joe Douglas could say if he ends up trading Adams instead of signing him to an extension.
“It was never our intent to proactively go out and shop Darrelle. It was never our goal to have Darrelle leave the Jets,” Idzik said after the trade. “On the contrary, we wanted Darrelle to remain a Jet for the long term, ideally. But Tampa reached out and displayed a sincere and sustained interest in Darrelle.”
The Jets would much rather go down the road of the first Revis contract dispute than the second one with Adams. Douglas and company have stated multiple times they want Adams to be a “Jet for life” and are willing to sign him to a long-term deal – just not now. They want to wait until after the 2021 season. Adams, though, knows how fragile his career is and either wants his money now or he wants to be traded.
If the Jets want to avoid the drama that developed out of both Revis’ contract standoffs, they should make a decision regarding Adams’ future on the team sooner rather than later – whether that be with a check or a trade. Either way, the Jets once again have a big decision to make with a generational defensive back.