The market for safeties just went up, and it will directly affect Jamal Adams’ potential contract extension with the Jets.
Chicago Bears free safety Eddie Jackson became the highest-paid player at the position after signing a four-year, $58.4 million extension Friday that includes $33 million in guaranteed money, according to his agency. His contract will pay him $14.6 million annually, which eclipses the previous league-high of $14.1 million annually set by Titans safety Kevin Byard in 2019.
That $14.6 million average yearly salary number becomes the new floor for Adams’ contract negotiations, which could already be in progress following the safety’s second-consecutive Pro Bowl season and his first All-Pro selection. The Jets should be prepared to offer Adams an extension that surpasses Jackson’s average yearly salary as well as the $44 million in guaranteed money that the Redskins and safety Landon Collins agreed to during the 2019 offseason.
It would be a mega-deal for a safety, but it’s worth it for a multi-dimensional defensive back coming off arguably the best season in his three-year career. Though Adams finished with 40 fewer tackles in 2019, he became a pass-rushing fiend under Gregg Williams with 6.5 sacks (second on the team) and 13 quarterback hits (tied for first on the team). Adams was a terror all over the field and earned his second-consecutive team MVP award.
There is a chance, though, that Adams won’t even be around long enough to sign an extension with the Jets. General manager Joe Douglas took calls for Adams at the 2019 trade deadline, which irked the star safety and clouded his future with the team. There’s a chance those talks surface once again this offseason, right in the midst of Adams’ potential negotiations for a new deal.
Though Douglas took calls for Adams in October, he told reporters during his Dec. 31 press conference he’s had great conversations with Adams since then and acknowledged what Adams means to the team both on and off the field.
“As all of you know, Jamal is an amazing player,” Douglas said. “We saw what he did all year, but really when we deployed him, he was such a factor as a pass rusher around the box. He did so many good things. He’s a special guy.”
Douglas wouldn’t go into details about the potential for an Adams extension, though, choosing instead to offer generic answers about how the team will go about evaluating players and contracts this offseason.
“We’re just starting our process,” Douglas said. “We’re going to get in with the coaching staff. That’s really the start of our entire process as far as talking about each player, each contract and what we’re going to do moving forward.”
These quotes came three days before Jackson’s deal, and the way Douglas negotiates will change drastically considering the new bar set by Jackson and the Bears. Now that the bar has been raised by $500,000, Douglas and the Jets will need to decide soon if Adams is worth the money. Adams will make only $3.5 million in 2020, the final year of his rookie deal. If the Jets exercise his fifth-year option by May 20, 2020, he’d make around $11.3 million in 2021.
The smart play is to pay Adams now before the floor continues to rise. There are a couple of other safeties looking for new contracts in the next year or so that could affect Adams’ next contract. Jackson set the new standard, but Adams will surpass it no matter where he plays in 2020.
