The rift between Jamal Adams and the Jets opened again Friday. Or did it?
Adams, who is seeking a contract extension, will skip the Jets’ virtual offseason program. On its surface, this looks bad. Especially considering the drama at the October trade deadline that left Adams feeling disrespected by the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2016.
But this development doesn’t necessarily signal an imminent trade, nor does it mean the Jets and Adams can’t work out a contract. The virtual program, a result of the ongoing pandemic, is voluntary for all players and teams, according to a memo obtained by ESPN, and lasts from April 20-May 15. Adams could just as easily have other offseason workouts planned on his own and doesn’t need to call into daily Zoom meetings with Gregg Williams and the rest of the defense. In reality, it’s likely just a play by Adams’ camp to incentivize Joe Douglas and the Jets to move forward the preliminary extension discussions the two sides had at the NFL combine in March.
That isn’t to say this news means nothing, though. Adams and the Jets already have a fragile relationship stemming from the 2019 trade deadline, and Adams made it clear he wants a new contract this offseason. He still has one year left on his rookie deal and a fifth-year team option in 2021 but is already a two-time Pro Bowler as a ball-hawking safety.
Adam’s relationship with the Jets first fractured in October when he heard reports that Douglas fielded trade offers for him at the deadline. He felt disrespected by Douglas because of his status as the face of the franchise, refused to talk to Douglas and Adam Gase for weeks, and spoke vaguely about his future with the team. Tensions softened early this offseason, though, when Adams mentioned he and the team had preliminary discussions about an extension and Douglas said he wanted Adams to be a “Jet for life.” Adams appreciated that comment, but also acknowledged the uncertainty ahead.
Douglas said in his media teleconference on April 1 that “nothing has really changed” on the Adams extension front and ESPN’s Rich Cimini added Friday that the Jets general manager plans to wait until after the draft on April 25 before having further discussions with Adams.
News of Adams skipping the virtual program likely surfaced to re-ignite those talks, but it doesn’t mean the Jets won’t once again entertain offers for the 24-year-old Adams.
The Cowboys will probably be in hot pursuit once again, and there are other teams who’d love to add Adams to their defense. Douglas said he’ll always pick up the phone if a team calls, and he’s proven to be a shrewd manipulator of the salary cap and touts flexibility in the draft. Adams would fetch a pretty penny, one Douglas could use to overhaul a Jets roster littered with holes.
Trading Adams would mean losing the identity of the Jets defense, though. Adams led the team or tied the team-high in solo tackles, tackles for a loss, forced fumbles and quarterback hits in 2019. He also finished with 6.5 sacks. He is invaluable for Williams’ defense and would be hard to replace both from a production and a leadership standpoint.
Adams is the Jets’ best player and any whiff of a holdout is bad. However, missing a voluntary virtual offseason program is only a big deal if the Jets truly have no plans to pay Adams what he wants. Then, things could get ugly again. For now, this looks like a move by Adams to push along extension discussions that were likely halted by the coronavirus pandemic and Douglas’ first draft as the Jets’ general manager.