Where Do Jamal Adams And The New York Jets Go From Here?

Jamal Adams’ reported decision to not participate in the New York Jets 2020 virtual off-season not only constitutes the most, let’s say, 2020iest thing a pro football player can do in these difficult, chaotic times. 

It also draws a proverbial line in the sand between him and his team. 

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday that Adams will not take part in these virtual team activities, which were approved by the NFL this week and are scheduled to begin April 27. The reason is that Adams, a two-time Pro Bowler who will be entering his fourth season with New York, is frustrated with the lack of any progress toward a long-term deal. 

Let’s look at the combatants in this sudden stalemate and examine their respective cases, which will help us understand the possible outcomes. 

Since being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Adams has become a fan favorite for his hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing style of play, and, not incidentally, for being the only real first-round success for New York in a string of draft blunders. But does that status warrant the money he likely wants? 

Chicago re-signed star safety Eddie Jackson to a five-year extension on Jan. 3. The deal, which wiped out the final year of his rookie contract, is for $58.4 million overall with $22 million guaranteed. That likely is the benchmark for what Adams and his representatives want. 

Is Adams worth it? Well, ultimately, that decision isn’t up to him or the fans. Douglas’ opinion is the only one that counts. Yes, Douglas said at the NFL Combine in February “the plan is for Jamal to be a Jet for life.” But he said recently there was “no news” concerning Adams. Also, Douglas clearly demonstrated during his first free-agent go-round in the GM’s seat, that once he has decided on a price point for a player, it seems he isn’t really willing to budge. And he is savvy enough to know that if he blinks here, it could set the tone for his entire tenure. 

Besides, like it or not, and the Adams camp surely doesn’t, Douglas is the one holding the cards here. Adams is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to make $3.59 million. Both he and Jackson of the Bears have made the Pro Bowl twice and been named All-Pro once in the last two years. 

But the difference, from a bargaining standpoint, that Jackson had in his favor is that he had far out-performed expectations coming out of college. Both players were taken in the 2017 draft, but Jackson was selected in the fourth round. Because Adams was picked in the first round, the Jets have the luxury, according to the CBA, of invoking his fifth-year option next month. That number has yet to be revealed, but as a ballpark estimate, consider that the figure for 2020 options invoked in 2019 was $9.531. Not bad, but still far below the payday he is seeking. 

Still, it explains why Douglas is in no hurry to get a new deal done. In fact, according to espn.com, only 15 of 191 first-round selections from 2011-16 received contract extensions in between their third and fourth seasons.

Despite the accolades, it’s possible that Douglas considers Adams to be a glorified box safety, i.e., one who doesn’t make enough plays on the ball. Adams only has two career interceptions. He also has 25 career pass breakups, including 12 in 2018. Interestingly, he has 12 career sacks, 6.5 last season when often was turned loose as a blitzer in new coordinator Gregg Williams’ scheme. He had two, including a 25-yard strip sack for a touchdown, in a virtuoso performance against the New York Giants.

Do those unusual numbers make him more valuable monetarily to the sack-starved Jets? That’s up to Douglas to decide. 

So now what? Did Adams’ camp leak this information prior to the draft for a reason? Remember, he was angry last October when he found out Douglas had shopped him to Dallas at the NFL trade deadline, which led to a messy situation. Know this—as good as Adams is, and he is very good—safety is not a premium NFL position. If Douglas can secure a 2021 first-round pick from the Cowboys (or some other team) and perhaps a lower-round selection, it might not be a bad trade to make. Safeties also are prone to getting hurt even more so than other players because of the amount of contact they see. 

No, Douglas should not judge by opinion poll. Too many Jets regimes have done that in the past (see the re-signing of Darrelle Revis in March 2015). But even so, public opinion on social media for fan favorite Adams seemed mixed Friday, much more so than in October, with some fans bothered that he’s worried about his contract while they deal with the physical and economic fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. 

No games of any sort are being played these days, but Jamal Adams has put the ball squarely in Joe Douglas’ court. Let’s see what play he draws up.