Jamal Adams - Pro Football Rumors

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.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Williams, Thuney, Dolphins

April 19th, 2020 at 4:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Throughout the offseason, the Jets have been unwilling to part with a second-round pick for Trent Williams. With days to go before the draft, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears that their position hasn’t changed.

And, even if the Jets were willing to cough up a second-round pick, Vacchiano doesn’t think that would be enough to bring the Redskins’ left tackle to Gang Green.

More on the Jets and the rest of the AFC East:

The Jets want to keep Jamal Adams for the long haul, but they’re also willing to slow-play negotiations to get the best possible price, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. Meanwhile, Adams’ camp has not set a deadline for talks, so the Jets don’t feel rushed or pressured to get something done. As it stands, Adams is under contract through the 2020 season, and the Jets also hold a fifth-year option on his deal that could take him through 2021.
If rival teams call with trade interest in guard Joe Thuney, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss expects the Patriots to pick up the phone and listen with an open mind. The Pats stunned everyone by using the franchise tag on Thuney, cuffing him at a $14.78MM rate for 2020. That’s not Bill Belichick‘s style, of course, so Reiss thinks he’d consider dealing Thuney if they’re offered a second-round choice or even a high third-rounder.
The Dolphins have done lots of homework on mid-round running backs and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out of draft weekend with two new RBs. They’ve also done lots of interviews with kickers like Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship, which could spell the end for Jason Sanders.
After undergoing wrist and groin surgeries, Jerry Hughes says he’s “on schedule” for the 2020 season (via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News). That’s fantastic news for the Bills, who hope to feature Hughes at defensive end alongside Trent Murphy and newcomer Mario Addison.

Jamal Adams To Skip Virtual Offseason Program

April 17th, 2020 at 8:50am CST by Dallas Robinson

Jamal Adams is not expected to participate in the Jets’ voluntary virtual offseason program when it begins later this month, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Adams, 24, became eligible for an extension at the end of the 2019 regular season, but New York hasn’t shown any interest in giving him a new deal just yet, per Schefter. He’s under contract through 2020, and the Jets also hold a fifth-year option in 2021.

Of course, Adams’ recent tenure with the Jets has been anything but smooth. He 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.

As Schefter notes, if Adams and the Jets don’t get any closer on a contract agreement, it’s possible he could be on the trade block again. However, Adams is skipping voluntary sessions, so we’re probably not at that point yet.

One of the best safeties in the NFL, Adams has been excellent since entering the league as the sixth overall pick in 2017. He earned a first-team All Pro nod in 2019, and made the Pro Bowl in both 2018 and 2019.

No Progress On Jamal Adams Contract Talks

April 5th, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Rory Parks

We heard at the end of January that the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams were beginning contract talks, but as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, those talks have been tabled for the time being. If Adams does get a new deal from Gang Green, it will not happen until after this month’s draft, and perhaps not until closer to the start of the regular season.

In the meantime, a trade is still a possibility. The Jets made Adams available in advance of the trade deadline in October, and while their asking price was too rich for a rival club to pull the trigger, we heard that a trade could still come together before the 2020 season gets underway. The Cowboys were negotiating with the Jets in the fall — they reportedly offered a first-round pick and backup corner Anthony Brown — and Cimini says there are rumors that Dallas is planning to make another run at Adams before the draft (though the club did add Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in free agency).

However, it does not sound as if the Jets have reduced their demands. They were asking for a first-rounder and two second-rounders at the deadline, and Cimini reports that it would still take an “extraordinary offer” to convince New York to deal Adams. After all, the LSU product has already established himself as an elite safety, and he won’t turn 25 until October.

The Dallas native previously indicated he would love to join the Cowboys, so if Jerry Jones‘ outfit does swing a trade, Adams would surely be receptive to a long-term pact. But whoever gives him his next contract will need to be prepared to make him the highest-paid safety in the game. Adams stands to land a deal paying him at least $15MM per season with upwards of $45MM in guaranteed money.

Jets Want To Keep Jamal Adams “For Life”

February 25th, 2020 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Throughout the season, the conflict between the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams played out on the pages of New York tabloids. For his part, GM Joe Douglas hopes that drama is in the “rear-view mirror.” And, with that in mind, he believes a long-term deal could be on the horizon.

“The plan is for Jamal [Adams] to be a Jet for life,” Douglas told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini).

Douglas reiterated that there have been preliminary discussions with the Pro Bowler’s camp, but he didn’t offer up much detail beyond that. Adams has been lobbying for a new deal for a long time and he’s open to staying with Gang Green. Still, he wants to be paid appropriately, which would mean a substantial raise from his rookie deal. Per the terms of his rookie deal, Adams is set to earn just $3.5MM in 2020.

Both sides are keeping mum on details, but it’s safe to say that Adams’ camp has Eddie Jackson‘s four-year, $58.4MM deal in mind. That pact, which includes $33MM guaranteed, is the richest deal for any safety in the NFL on a per-year basis. Landon Collins‘ six-year, $84MM contract is the highest overall sum for any safety in the league, but guaranteed dollars and AAV are the true measures of a contract’s value. Besides, Adams won’t turn 25 until October and the salary cap is set to skyrocket even further, so a four-year deal or something similar would make sense for him.

The Jets shopped Adams before last year’s trade deadline, even after he told the team that he wanted to stay put. This rankled the Jets’ defensive superstar and led many to label him as a trade candidate this offseason. Until a new deal is signed to make him a “Jet for life” (or, something close to it), the speculation will continue.