NFL careers are incredibly fragile. One false step can completely derail a player’s once-promising potential.
No one knows that fragility better than Jets’ safety Jamal Adams, whose father, George Adams, missed out on a long career in the NFL after a suffering a devastating hip injury a year after the Giants drafted him 19th overall in 1985. Now, as the younger Adams seeks a contract extension after three successful seasons with the Jets, his father’s career could serve as a cautionary tale in his personal quest to secure his future.
The elder Adams looked destined for a prominent role on the Giants after he finished his rookie season with 887 total yards and four touchdowns. But before the 1986 season, Adams suffered a gruesome hip injury in practice. The femur ball in his hip was ripped from the socket and he missed the entire year. It was a similar injury to the one that ended Bo Jackson’s career in 1991. Adams played five more seasons in the NFL – three with the Giants and two with the Patriots – but endured endless amounts of pain and never rose to the level he’d hoped to as a first-round pick. He only tallied 1,013 total yards and three total touchdowns in the final four years of his career.
Now, George Adams walks with a cane and his left leg is three inches shorter than his right, according to The Advocate. Not only did his career never live up to its potential, but now the elder Adams can not walk, run or exercise like he did before the injury. The younger Adams, who was born four years after his father left the NFL, has seen the effects of football directly and now has an opportunity to ensure his financial security before the toll of a violent game affects him.
Though only 16 first-round picks since 2011 earned a new contract before their fourth season, Adams believes his two Pro Bowls in three seasons and leadership on the Jets defense should be enough to set a new precedent. The Jets disagree, though, and appear unwilling to sign Adams until after the 2020 season.
Adams doesn’t want to wait for his extension and he’s reportedly expressed a desire to be traded if the Jets don’t give him a new contract sooner rather than later. Some will call this selfish – not thinking about the needs of the team first – but for Adams, it’s personal. His dad’s entire career was defined by an injury that was out of his control and his financial future never materialized.
The relationship between the Jets and Adams is rocky, complicated and full of emotion right now. Adams has multiple reasons for wanting to be paid right away, but it’s the Jets who hold all the cards in the young safety’s future.