Jamal Adams’ relationship with the New York Jets’ fan base finally might have reached the irreconcilable differences stage Sunday night.
That was when New York’s disgruntled superstar safety tweeted praise and congratulations to New England coach Bill Belichick for the signing of ex-Carolina quarterback Cam Newton.
It was bad enough that Adams, upset that the Jets have made no move to renegotiate his contract, has been openly campaigning to be traded. That was one thing. Giving social media aid and comfort to the enemy, i.e., the hated New England Patriots, that is quite another.
With each Instagram and Twitter post by Adams, this relationship seems irretrievably broken. Let’s try to separate fact from fiction and see where, if anywhere, these two sides can go from here.
It was reported by ESPN.com on June 18 that Adams had requested permission from the team to seek a trade. Subsequently, The New York Daily News reported last week that Adams’ “lack of faith” in Gase was a factor in his desire to leave the organization.
Gase, of course, denied his relationship with Adams was poor when he spoke with reporters on a conference call.
“My relationship with Jamal has been good since the time I’ve gotten here” in 2019, Gase said Friday. “We’ve had a lot of discussions throughout the season, trying to figure out ways to win. We’ve always gotten along well, and there’s been a lot of dialogue between us about on- and off-the-field-type topics.”
If anything, the problem with Gase’s relationship with the defensive players is the one I wrote about here. As the offensive playcaller, he spends so much time on that side of the ball that he has completely sub-contracted the defense out to veteran coordinator Gregg Williams, who operates with nearly full autonomy.
Gase and Adams did have a minor dustup last September, when Gase admitted he removed Adams from the game in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to Cleveland. Adams had committed back-to-back penalties and Gase was afraid he might get ejected. Adams angrily said he was “benched” in his weekly WFAN radio appearance the next day. Still, two weeks later, Adams told radio host Rich Eisen that he and Gase were on the “same page” and everything was OK.
Will Adam Gase ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Vince Lombardi as NFL coaches? Probably not. But make no mistake, if general manager Joe Douglas had given Adams a blank check by now, Gase’s bedside manner would not be an issue. It’s all about the money.
And yes, it is understandable that Adams wants to make as much money as soon as possible after seeing what happened to his father. George Adams rushed for 498 yards as a rookie for the New York Giants in 1985. But he never suited up for the team’s 1986 Super Bowl champions because of a devastating hip injury suffered in practice before the season. Subsequent operations never quite fixed the problem and he has great difficulty walking.
But as awful as that is, it does not mean the Jets must overpay his son, especially while they have him under contract for two more years.
As for Adams’ complaints, if Douglas did indeed tell the Adams camp that he intented to negotiate a new deal this off-season, then Adams’ fustration is a lot more understandable. One would assume Douglas’ plan all along has been to play the long game, mainly because time and the collective bargaining agreement are on his side. There never was any reason to tear up Adams’ contract after three seasons. But only Adams and his representatives and the Jets’ front office know for sure if Joe Douglas acted in bad faith.
That said, if Douglas does want to trade Adams, the two-time Pro Bowler’s actions have not made it easy. Not only has Adams, according to reports, submitted a list of only eight teams to which he would accept a trade, his constant social media posts indicating that he wants to leave New York are hurting Douglas’ trade leverage. Douglas already has shown his savvy in approximately 13 months on the job, and he is not about to settle for pennies on the dollar when trying to trade an All-Pro.
That is why this will not happen right away, and may not happen this year, even if Adams holds out.
I have 30 years of experience writing for daily newspapers, and I covered the Jets from 2007-16 for The Record of Bergen County, N.J. As the beat writer, I covered every
I have 30 years of experience writing for daily newspapers, and I covered the Jets from 2007-16 for The Record of Bergen County, N.J. As the beat writer, I covered every game, home and away, during that span and chronicled two long playoff runs and a subsequent slide into mediocrity. I was there for the entire Rex Ryan era, and also have covered less-loquacious head coaches Todd Bowles and Eric Mangini. And yes, I was there for then-quarterback Mark Sanchez’s infamous “butt fumble” on Thanksgiving night 2012.