Former New York Jets safety Jamal Adams has been strong and outspoken during his contract dispute with the team, but he has not spoken of his way out of town, according to the man who negotiated the one of the biggest jobs in franchise history.
General manager Joe Douglas said Adams’s outspokenness had no impact on the decision to trade him for the Seattle Seahawks. At the same time, Douglas took umbrage with one of Adams’ claims.
“I want to be clear: I have never promised Jamal or his agent an offer, and I have never been dishonest with communications with their side,” Douglas said Monday on a conference call with journalists.
Several months of acrimony culminated in the blockbuster Saturday, as the Jets offloaded Adams for a package including 2021 and 2022 first-round picks and veteran security Bradley McDougald.
Adams raised the heat, criticizing Douglas, coach Adam Gase and owner Woody Johnson. Most of his anger stemmed from the team’s refusal to grant him a contract extension. A day after attacking Gase and Douglas in the New York Daily News, the trade was announced.
“Look, this is a business and you don’t take it personally,” Douglas said. “Obviously there is a reason why these things were said. I don’t take these things personally. I don’t think anybody took these things personally. … I can promise you, it didn’t. not affected with any of our decision making over the past week.
“For us, I certainly don’t think it’s a precedent for a player to pull their way out of town. I’m not concerned about that precedent.”
Sources said the parameters for the trade were in place before Adams’ comments were published in the Daily News. Previously, he had attacked the organization on social media, saying he was promised in January that an offer was imminent.
Adams, 24, has two more years on his contract for a total of $ 13.5 million. He will play this season under his current contract.
The Jets wanted to postpone an extension until 2021. Asked why he didn’t want to extend Adams this offseason, Douglas said it’s rare for defensive players drafted in the first round to receive new offers after their third season. . He also spoke of the uncertainty over the salary cap due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Douglas said he was not averse to having Adams in a training camp in the hopes of achieving a truce, if not a contract extension.
“But, obviously, we got an offer that was too hard to pass up,” he said. “We have decided to go ahead with this decision.”
Gase, whose leadership was questioned by Adams in the Daily News, has yet to comment on the trade. Douglas rushed to the coach’s defense, offering unsolicited support in his opening speech.
“I particularly believe in Coach Gase,” said Douglas. “I think he’s the right coach to lead this team, after seeing him work last year and seeing him and his team get through a 1-7 start. I feel really good about our position. with him and his leadership. “
In the end, the Jets traded their best player, weakening their roster for 2020. Douglas tried to give it a positive spin, insisting, “I don’t agree that it’s 2020.
“We’re trying to build this the right way. I think this deal helps us do that. We’re working to build a base of great players and great people. We have a group of guys who have a lot of motivation and desire. to prove that the end of last year was no accident. “
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