Not a surprise

Now it’s official. Jamal Adams has requested a trade. The announcement was made by Manish Mehta.

Adams gave a hint earlier in the day of his feelings when he tweeted at a fan who was a little critical of him: “Maybe it’s time to move on.”

Hours after that exchange with a fan, Mehta announced the trade request at 4:46 eastern time.

Adams also recently wrote, “I can’t even get my first proposal that they said they would send over in January. I was called ‘selfish,’ though! A lot of talk, no action.”

It’s unclear if the Jets promised that first proposal. They have not commented on that, but do you think Douglas would make such a promise and then make no offer for the next five months? It’s hard to believe a GM would do that because he would look like a schmuck. You decide whether you buy Adams claim.

But reading the tea leaves, you get the sense that Douglas wanted to wait until next year to give Adams a new deal, since the player is under contract for the next two seasons.

Here is what Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, who has a great Jets source, tweeted on May 22: “Sticking point on extension is simple. Guys like Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack played four seasons (and won DPOY) before their extensions. Jets don’t want to do Adams’ deal after three years for the highest-paid-safety money he wants. In 2021 it could be a different story.”

As we have written in the space on many occasions, if you give Adams a new deal after three years, then first-round picks like Mekhi Becton and Quinnen Williams, if they play well, will come knocking on Joe’s door after their third seasons. So ripping up first-round contracts after three years can set a bad precedent.

Prior Jets regimes likely would have caved to Adams contract demands for PR reasons, but Douglas and Christopher Johnson don’t govern by public opinion polls.

So a trade makes sense if they can get what they want in return. They aren’t going to give the player away. Now some people would say it sets bad precedent to cave to a player, who is under contract, who demands to be traded.

There is some credence to that, but a trade is still likely the best way to go here. Douglas is trying to build the “best culture in sports” as he puts it. To have a disgruntled, bombastic Adams in the locker room this year, sans a new contract, would likely impact the karma of the clubhouse. Adams isn’t one to keep his feelings to himself.

Andy Reid always says to his scouts: “Every player you draft or sign does one of two things – brings energy to your building, or sucks the energy out of your building.”

Right now, with his nonstop complaining on social media about the Jets and his contract, Adams is probably the latter. That wasn’t always the case with this player.

As we have said before, the Jets are partly to blame for this by overhyping the player on social media. Prez this, Prez that. And after all that hype, now he’s saying, “Show me the money.” This wasn’t Douglas fault because he hasn’t been with the Jets long, but moving forward, he needs to put a stop to it. STOP OVERHYPING YOUNG PLAYERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Seattle Seahawks perhaps make the most sense as a destination. I will get into this tomorrow. Sorry to keep kicking the can on this Seattle’ angle, but there was obviously breaking news today with Mehta’s announcement.

June 18, 2020

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