Contract negotiations between the Jets and Jamal Adams may not be going as smoothly as both sides would like, but that does not mean New York is preparing to ship away its All-Pro safety.
According to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, the Jets have no intention of trading Adams and are committed to making a long-term extension with him happen. The expectation is that New York and Adams will eventually come to terms on a contract that will make him a “Jet for life.”
Adams is entering the fourth year of his four-year, $22.2 million rookie contract and wants to get paid before his rookie deal expires. More specifically, all signs point to Adams wanting to get paid this offseason. Jets general manager Joe Douglas and CEO Christopher Johnson have maintained that they want to keep Adams in the Big Apple, but it appears the organization is not in a rush to do anything right away.
Douglas reached out to Adams’ representation shorty after the 2020 NFL Draft to open initial discussions regarding a contract extension. However, the Jets’ preference is to wait before extending Adams long-term.
New York’s reluctance to aggressively pursue an extension with Adams has led to rampant trade rumors throughout the last couple of weeks. According to Vacchiano, the Jets have not had any meaningful trade discussions involving Adams since October’s trade deadline, when the Cowboys and numerous other teams inquired about the 24-year-old’s availability.
Adams wants a contract that would make him the highest-paid safety in football. That means any deal would have to surpass Eddie Jackson’s $14.6 million per year salary. Timing, not money, is the reason why the two sides currently find themselves at an impasse.
The Jets want to wait to extend Adams, largely because they hold all of the leverage in contract negotiations. He is signed through 2021 and New York could use the franchise tag on him once, or even twice. With that kind of financial control working in their favor, it makes sense that the Jets want to save some money and wait as long as possible to extend the LSU product.
Adams is currently refusing to participate in the Jets’ virtual offseason program. Could a training camp holdout be in store once New York returns to its facilities? That remains to be seen. It doesn’t look like contract negotiations between the Jets and Adams are going anywhere anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be donning the Green and White next season.
In other words, don’t expect Adams to be anywhere but at One Jets Drive in 2020.