New York Jets: All-Pro Safety Jamal Adams wants out

We’ve all heard the rumors, but now they are confirmed; Jamal Adams has requested a trade from the New York Jets.

New York Jets GM Joe Douglas has had his hands full during his first few months on the job. After acing the draft and bringing in key free agents, Douglas will be tasked with his biggest job yet; what to do with All-Pro safety Jamal Adams.

In February, Douglas told the media that he wants Adams to be “a Jet for life.” Adams is heading into year three of a four-year contract and has publicly expressed his desire to get a contract extension this offseason multiple times. The only issue is that the Jets DON’T have to give in and provide Adams a contract extension since he’s not an unrestricted free agent until 2022.

This means Gang Green has total control over the two-time Pro Bowler until at least the 2022 season.

Yes, Adams is a great talent, yes he does more than just play safety, and yes he is the best player on the roster, but does that mean the Jets should break the bank for him two years early and make him the highest-paid Jet just because he’s been publicly complaining about the situation? Absolutely not.

Although Adams is a great talent, he hasn’t always been a good soldier for New York since being drafted sixth overall in 2017. In 2018, Adams took to social media and liked a tweet about the possibility of him playing for the Cowboys during the 2020 season. This past year after an 0-2 start to the season, Adams turned to social media (again) and deleted the Jets out of his Twitter and Instagram bios.

Adams was also upset with Douglas after his name was being thrown around in trade rumors this past season and let his frustration be known to the media. Part of being a competent general manager is to do your due diligence and answer phone calls when other general manager’s call about your players. So yes, Douglas might’ve been answering phone calls on Adams to get a feel for the market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Douglas was definitely going to trade Adams.

"“It definitely hurt me. You know what I mean? I hold myself at a high level. You know, the Rams don’t, they don’t take calls on Aaron Donald. The Patriots don’t take calls on Tom Brady. That’s where I hold myself, in that regard.”"

The 24-year-old is a fantastic talent, but he is not Aaron Donald or Tom Brady. Now let’s fast forward to this week.

Early Thursday afternoon, Adams once again took his frustration about his contract negotiations to social media in a reply to a comment that “Maybe it’s time to move on!” in regards to his tenure with New York.

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Then hours later, it was reported that the safety formally requested a trade from the New York Jets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Adams would welcome a trade to the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks, and on Friday he added the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to his list.

Look, I know Adams brings a lot to the football field and that he’s arguably the best safety in the game, but the reality is safeties aren’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. I’m all for Adams getting his contract extension, but why does he need it right now when the Jets have two more years of control?

Another thing that doesn’t make much sense is that Adams is reportedly willing to wait for his contract extension for only certain teams that he’s interested in possibly being traded to. So if he can wait for those teams, why does he need his extension from the New York Jets right now?

Although Adams can be a great ambassador for the Jets and a good locker room guy, he’s shown time and time again that when he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s not a good leader and borderline divaish. If I’m going to break the bank for a player, he needs to be a great leader on and off the field and most importantly, a great leader during the losing times and not just the winning.

Douglas and the New York Jets are not in the wrong here, Douglas has expressed his desire to keep Adams longterm, but he doesn’t have to pay him until 2022. If I’m Douglas, I don’t trade Adams unless I’m getting a massive return for him. If Adams chooses to sit out until he gets his new contract, then that’s his problem. Douglas and the Jets should NOT give in, they have all the leverage here.