Jamal Adams - Pro Football Rumors

Jets’ Jamal Adams: “Maybe It’s Time To Move On”

June 18th, 2020 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, Jamal Adams took yet another social media shot at the Jets. In an Instagram comment referencing Christian McCaffrey‘s recent big-money extension and the forthcoming Patrick Mahomes mega-deal, Adams wondered why his team isn’t taking care of him in the same fashion.

“I deserve to be paid…don’t use the pandemic excuse,” Adams wrote (h/t Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). “CM22 got paid not too long ago. Well deserved. Great friend of mine…I’m [going to] protect myself just like an organization will look out for themselves at the end of the day. And, if you guys don’t respect that, cool. It’s all [love]. Maybe it’s time to move on!”

Throughout the offseason, Jets GM Joe Douglas has told the press that he intends to keep the young standout safety for the duration of his career. Meanwhile, Adams says he has been left waiting. In January, Adams says, the Jets told him that they would propose terms of a long-term extension. Last week, Adams says that he’s still waiting for it.

The pandemic has unquestionably gummed up the works for pending extension talks around the league. However, Adams isn’t buying it. The Pro Bowler has been pushing for a market-value deal for well over a year and, lately, he’s received little in the way of communication. Instead, during that time, the Jets discussed potential trades, including one that would have shipped Adams to the Cowboys. Ultimately, the Jets’ asking price scuttled those talks – ditto for discussions with the Ravens.

As it stands, the Jets have Adams under contract through 2021. The Jets could keep him off the market with the franchise tag, but it’s clear that Adams wouldn’t cooperate with that course of action.

Jamal Adams Frustrated With Jets

June 13th, 2020 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Despite all of the kind words from GM Joe Douglas, all is not well between the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams. As the Browns discuss a new deal with Myles Garrett, Adams finds himself frustrated with the lack of momentum in his own contract talks.

“Well deserved [Myles Garrett],” Adams wrote on Instagram (h/t Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, via Twitter). “I can’t even get my first proposal that they said they would send over in January. I was called ‘selfish’…A lot of talk, no action.”

Adams, 25 in November, has been pushing for a deal that would top Eddie Jackson‘s recent deal with the Bears – a four-year, $58.4MM contract that leads NFL safeties in average yearly salary. If he can’t get that, Adams is reportedly open to a trade. The Jets have dangled Adams in the past, but their asking price warded off everyone. Effectively, Douglas has maintained that old business adage – “Don’t tell them no, tell them how much it will cost.” At this point, the Jets have publicly and privately indicated that they will not deal their best defensive player.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said earlier this year. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

For now, Adams is slated earn $7.1MM in 2020 and $9.86MM in 2021, via the fifth-year option. After that, the Jets could theoretically keep him with the franchise tag, but it’s clear that Adams wouldn’t cooperate in that scenario.

Latest On Jets’ Jamal Adams

May 25th, 2020 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets and Jamal Adams aren’t close to a new deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) hears. That doesn’t mean they won’t eventually come to terms on a new multi-year deal, but they are in a bit of a holding pattern due to the ongoing pandemic. Rapoport stresses that it’s “not an impasse,” so there’s no reason for Jets fans to panic just yet.

Rapoport adds that there’s no real traction between the Jets and the Cowboys on a potential Adams trade. The Cowboys have been connected to Adams for a long time now, but, as Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News reported over the weekend, they’re not pursuing him at the moment.

The Jets have dangled Adams in the past, but they’ve set a sky-high asking price every time. Talks heated up before last year’s trade deadline, but Joe Douglas stuck to his guns by asking for a first round pick and two second-round picks. That was too rich for the Cowboys blood; they countered with a first-round pick plus a Day 3 choice.

The Ravens also pursued Adams last year, and one has to imagine that they’d still like to have him, given their friction with Earl Thomas. However, they’ve got limited cap room and several players of their own to lock up, so Adams-to-Baltimore also seems unlikely. At this moment, it sounds like Adams will probably be a Jet in 2020.

Cowboys Not Interested In Trading For Jets’ Jamal Adams?

May 23rd, 2020 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys aren’t currently interested in trading for Jets star Jamal Adams, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News tweets. The Cowboys have long been connected to Adams, but it sounds like they’re skittish about coughing up significant draft capital and a market-resetting extension for the standout safety.

The Jets and Adams have had a drama-filled year, but things have mellowed between the two sides. They’ve been discussing an extension for the last few months and GM Joe Douglas has gone out of his way to publicly praixse the two-time Pro Bowler.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said in April. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

There’s no “animosity” between Adams and Gang Green, but the 24-year-old (25 in October) remains “open” to a trade, Watkins hears. That’s not a huge surprise – Adams is currently set to earn $7.1MM in 2020 and $9.86MM in 2021, via the fifth-year option. After that, the Jets could cuff him via the franchise tag at least once, possibly twice, and, theoretically (but not realistically) three times. As one of the league’s premier safeties with youth on his side, Adams is understandably antsy to get his payday.

Adams’ camp is likely eyeing a contract that would push him ahead of Eddie Jackson‘s recent deal with the Bears, a four-year, $58.4MM pact to lead the league in average annual value at safety. Jackson also landed $33MM in guarantees, representing more than 50% of the deal’s total value.

From a football perspective, the Cowboys would obviously love to have Adams, but that would require a breakdown in talks and a serious slashing of the Jets’ asking price. At one point, Douglas was reportedly seeking a first round pick, plus two second-round picks in exchange.

Jets Do Not Plan To Trade Jamal Adams

May 22nd, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Rory Parks

We heard yesterday that the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams have reached an impasse. Adams, who is now eligible for a contract extension, wants a new deal immediately, but New York — which has at least two years of club control left, not including a potential franchise tag in 2022 — wants to wait. As such, the two sides discussed the possibility of a trade earlier this week, but as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes, the Jets have no intention of trading Adams.

According to Vacchiano’s source, the team has not engaged in trade talks with any club since last year’s deadline, though that has not stopped teams from calling. In yesterday’s report, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com noted that more than half of the teams in the league have reached out to the Jets to discuss Adams’ availability.

Per Vacchiano, GM Joe Douglas did contact Adams’ agents after the draft, just as he promised. But Douglas is fully aware that the team has all the leverage right now. It’s unclear whether Adams will stage a training camp holdout, but even if he does, he will have to report eventually if he wants to get paid, and even if he formally requests a trade, it’s unlikely the Jets will grant that request. Plus, with COVID-19 creating a potential financial crisis for all 32 teams in the league, it would be hard for the Jets to authorize a record-setting contract when they don’t have to.

The Jets do, however, have every intention of making Adams the highest-paid safety in league history at some point. As Connor Hughes of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), the current stalemate is only about timing. The two sides have not even discussed dollar amounts yet, but the Jets know they will have to cough up a deal paying at least $15MM per year with at least $40MM or so in guarantees. The only question is when that will happen.

Jets, Jamal Adams Reach Stalemate

May 21st, 2020 at 8:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets and safety Jamal Adams have reached an impasse in extension negotiations, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Adams wants a new deal before the 2020 season gets underway, but New York is content to wait before agreeing to a long-term pact.

On Wednesday, the Jets and Adams discussed the idea of a trade, per Cimini, but it’s unclear how serious those talks have been. Adams, of course, has long been considered to be on the trade block, but Gang Green doesn’t have a desire to deal him right now, according to Cimini.

Adams, meanwhile, would welcome the idea of moving on from the Jets, as he and his agent feel the Jets have taken their time in working on a fresh contract, reports Cimini. More than half the teams in the NFL have reached out to New York about Adams’ availability, which is not all that surprising given his status as one of the league’s best defensive backs.

Adams, 24, became eligible for an extension at the end of the 2019 regular season. He’s under contract through 2021 after the Jets exercised his fifth-year option. Perhaps because of that level of team control, the Jets haven’t shown an inclination to rush an extension. In fact, New York and Adams haven’t even broached dollar figures yet in their negotiations, per Cimini.

Adams, who is surely to aiming to top Eddie Jackson ($14.6MM) as the NFL’s highest-paid safety, was publicly dangled at the 2019 trading deadline, with Gang Green reportedly posting an extraordinary asking price of a first- and two second-round picks. And while Jets general manager Joe Douglas has continued to rave about Adams, the two parties clearly aren’t any closer to a long-term agreement.

Jets Notes: Mosley, Bell, Flacco

May 10th, 2020 at 10:16am CST by Rory Parks

Jets safety Jamal Adams remains a trade candidate, but count linebacker C.J. Mosley as a high-profile member of the defense that wants Adams to stick around.

“[Trading Adams] would be a crazy move,” Mosley said (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). “First of all, he’s one of the leaders on the team. … To have that presence in the secondary, a guy that can make plays in the passing game and also plays in the backfield — in the box — that’s always exciting.”

Mosley himself — who played in just two games in his first year with Gang Green after signing a massive free agent contract last offseason — said he feels great and expects to be at full health for training camp (assuming there is a training camp, of course).

Now let’s take a look at a few more Jets-related items:

Another big-name player who looks like a trade candidate is running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell disappointed in his first season with the Jets, and many believe he will be released after the 2020 campaign, which would allow the club to realize a significant cap savings with a fairly minimal dead money charge. But if the Jets look like non-contenders at the trade deadline, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv expects them to put Bell on the trade block in the hopes of recouping some sort of draft compensation for him.
The Jets addressed one of their biggest needs in the first round of the draft by adding massive Louisville LT Mekhi Becton. Becton may be more raw than some of his fellow LT prospects, but he also has a tremendously high ceiling, and he could be protecting Sam Darnold‘s blind side right away. However, free agent acquisition George Fant hopes to fill that role in 2020. Per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Fant wants to play on the left side, though the former Seahawk also indicated he is willing to play RT if necessary (Twitter link). “Right now I’m just ready for an opportunity,” Fant said.
GM Joe Douglas signed WR Breshad Perriman in free agency and added a high-upside receiving prospect in Denzel Mims in the draft, but Brian Costello of the New York Post believes the Jets could look into re-signing Demaryius Thomas. Thomas, 32, wants to continue his playing career, and though he is nowhere close to the player he once was, he proved himself to be a strong locker room presence in 2019 and could be a good mentor for Mims.
Veteran QB Joe Flacco may not be recovered from his neck surgery until late August or mid-September, but Cimini believes he would be a good fit for the Jets. In the same piece linked above, the ESPN scribe says New York must add a veteran backup for Darnold, and Douglas — who championed Flacco as a member of the Ravens’ staff in 2008 — could take a look at the former Super Bowl MVP.
Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, has passed away at the age of 99, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. Though Betty Johnson did not have a formal role with the team, she was considered the club matriarch and was beloved by players and execs.

Jets To Exercise Jamal Adams’ Fifth-Year Option

April 27th, 2020 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets will exercise Jamal Adams‘ fifth-year option, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News. This, of course, won’t be the end of the Jets’ contractual dealings with the standout safety.

With the option, Adams will be slated to earn $9.86MM in 2021 – guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, he’s looking for a brand new multi-year deal that will reset the market as his position. The Jets have explored trading him in the past, but GM Joe Douglas claims that he’s staying put.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said recently. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

The two-time Pro Bowler has drawn interest from the Cowboys and several other clubs, but Douglas has said that he wants Adams to be a “Jet for life.” We may soon find out whether that’s the case, though Adams’ camp has not set any sort of deadline in talks.

A new deal for Adams would likely vault him ahead of Eddie Jackson, whose recent four-year, $58.4MM deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league. His $14.6MM average annual value leads the position and his $33MM in guarantees – more than half of the deal’s total value – will be front of mind for Adams’ reps in negotiations.

Jets GM Joe Douglas On Jamal Adams

April 21st, 2020 at 5:48pm CST by Rory Parks

Jets safety Jamal Adams‘ future in the Meadowlands remains murky, but GM Joe Douglas continues to rave about his young star. Though the team is reportedly willing to slow-play negotiations with Adams, Douglas remains hopeful that the 2019 First Team All-Pro will be with Gang Green for the long haul.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said on ESPN NY 98.7 today (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

Coming off his third year in the league, Adams is extension-eligible for the first time. He is planning to skip the Jets’ voluntary virtual offseason program as he seeks a new contract, one that will surely make him the highest-paid safety in NFL history. New York can theoretically control him through the 2021 season, but it doesn’t seem as though Adams will willingly play into the 2020 campaign without a new deal in place, let alone 2021.

A trade remains a possibility, but one of Adams’ most aggressive suitors at the 2019 trade deadline, the Cowboys, are unlikely to trade a first-rounder for him at this point, and the Jets will certainly not deal him for anything less than a first-rounder (and then some). That reality, combined with the fact that an acquiring club would need to give up premium draft capital and authorize a record-breaking contract, makes it increasingly likely that Douglas will get his wish and will get to keep Adams at the core of his defense (even if the two sides to not come to terms for a while).

“We have to surround him with guys that play as hard as he does, that love football as much as he does and can match his intensity,” Douglas said. The neophyte GM will have a chance to do just that this Thursday, when his team is on the clock with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2020 draft.

Cowboys Unlikely To Trade Round 1 Pick For Veteran

April 21st, 2020 at 1:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Picking in the first round for the first time in two years, the Cowboys are not likely to part ways with this selection for a veteran player, per Jerry Jones (via NFL.com’s Jane Slater, on Twitter). The Cowboys pick 17th Thursday.

This is notable because of the organization’s Jamal Adams interest. The Cowboys offered a first-round pick and change for Adams before last year’s deadline, Slater reported in October. The Jets turned that offer down, but Adams is skipping their virtual offseason program. The All-Pro safety’s future with the team is murky at this point.

Adams said last year he would love to play for the Cowboys. The LSU product is a Dallas native. But at this point, Slater notes the Cowboys do not have him on the front burner. The Jets will obviously pick up Adams’ fifth-year option, tethering him to their payroll through the 2021 season.

The Cowboys traded their 2019 first-round pick for Amari Cooper and have since extended him on a $20MM-per-year deal. An Adams re-up would cost more than $15MM AAV and likely more. A high price tag — for Adams or another veteran — would play into the Cowboys’ hesitance on giving up their first-rounder, per Jones (via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer).

Dallas balked at trading a first-round pick for Earl Thomas in 2018 and opted against pursuing him in free agency last year. The team did address its years-long safety need in free agency, doing so by signing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to a low-cost deal. He is set to join incumbent Xavier Woods as a back-line starter. Woods is going into a contract year.