The Jamal Adams-Jets feud reached a boiling point this week after multiple reports surfaced surrounding the safety’s future in New York. It’s a complicated situation for many reasons with lots of emotion, history and, of course, money at the center.
Basically, Adams wants an extension or a trade. The Jets appear unwilling to do either before the 2020 season.
Adams, whom the Jets took sixth overall in the 2017 draft, quickly became the face of the Jets defense over his first three seasons and reached the Pro Bowl the last two seasons. He proved to be one of the best safeties in the league in his short career and wants to be paid as such – more than the $14.6 annual salary safety Eddie Jackson earned from the Bears earlier this year.
Joe Douglas opened up negotiations with Adams at the NFL combine in March and has had conversations with Adams since the NFL draft ended in April, but the two sides seem to be nowhere near agreeing to an extension before this season. The Jets want to keep Adams, but the stalemate prompted a lot of trade rumors surrounding Adams. More than half the teams in the league called the Jets about Adams, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, and the Cowboys and Ravens were interested in Adams at the 2019 trade deadline. The Cowboys haven’t talked to the Jets since those initial talks in October, according to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, though Dallas seems to be Adams’ preferred destination in any trade. The safety is from Texas.
Adams wants to be traded if the Jets don’t sign him to an extension, according to Robinson, but he has almost no leverage in the matter. The Jets control Adams’ contract for at least the next two seasons and potentially for the next four if they use the franchise tag twice. Adams will make $3.5 million in 2020 on the fourth year of his rookie deal and $9.9 million in 2021 after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option. Adams is already holding out from the Jets’ virtual offseason program, and it’s possible he holds out more this offseason and potentially into the regular season.
Both the Jets and Adams have valid arguments for their stances.
For the Jets, it’s all about precedent and an uncertain financial future in the NFL. It’s very rare for a player to earn a contract extension before his fourth season, and only 16 first-round picks since 2011 signed a new deal after three seasons. Fellow 2017 draft classmate Christian McCaffrey recently signed an extension with the Panthers, but most teams wait until after a player’s fourth season to give them a long-term deal. Adams proved worthy of an exception to the rule, but Douglas doesn’t seem to be in a rush.
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are also huge question marks heading into the season and could have massive consequences for a team’s salary cap space. If the season is played without fans, the league could lose billions of dollars – which could lower the salary cap tremendously in the seasons to come. Douglas doesn’t want to ruin his future financial flexibility by giving a safety over $14.6 million a year if his cap space is slashed.
Adams knows his worth, though, and he knows the importance of signing a long-term contract as soon as possible to insulate yourself from a career-threatening injury. His father, former 1985 first-round pick George Adams, suffered a devastating lower-body injury during his second season in the league that shortened his career to six painful seasons. Adams is one of the best and most versatile safeties in the NFL and an integral part of the Jets’ defense. He sees his three-year tape as the perfect case for a deviation from the norm when it comes to extensions.
While the Jets don’t want to trade Adams, it appears they’re willing to listen to offers. Douglas proved this past season that he’ll pick up the phone for any player – including Adams – and fielded calls from the Cowboys and Ravens – much to Adams’ dismay. The safety felt betrayed by the organization for even insinuating his availability back in October, but now he’s on board with the idea.
The trade inquiries ignited the tension between the two sides and now the stalled contract negotiations have only exacerbated issues. Douglas’ offseason desire to make Adams a “Jet for life” and the positive words from Adam Gase and Gregg Williams isn’t enough to save the relationship.
Right now, only money can salvage Adams’ frustrations with the Jets, and it doesn’t look like either side will waver.