Things between the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams are getting messy … again.
ESPN reported Friday that Adams is not participating in the virtual offseason program, which begins April 27 and is voluntary, because he is unhappy the team has not expressed official interest in extending his contract.
Adams, 24, is in the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make just $3.5 million this season, far below what the top safeties are making. Adams is coming off a season in which he was named first-team All-Pro and made his second Pro Bowl. It is understandable why he is seeking a pay raise.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas said in February that he wants Adams to be a “Jet for life.”
Still, it appears the Jets are in no rush to get anything done. While Adams said in January that his representatives and the Jets had talked, sources said those were very preliminary discussions. Douglas recently said his priority was free agency and the draft in relation to an Adams extension.
Adams does not have much leverage because the Jets can keep control of him for a while. They surely will pick up his fifth-year option for 2021 soon and they can use the franchise tag on him in 2022 if they choose. Adams can sit out the voluntary offseason program, which right now is just being conducted virtually because of social distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. He also can try to pressure the Jets by holding out in training camp, but he would be fined $40,000 a day if he does that.
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It still seem likely the two sides will get something done, but the Jets may want to wait until next year to extend his contract. Of the 191 first-round picks from 2011-16, just 15 have received contract extensions after their third season Of those 15, only four were defensive players. Even Rams star Aaron Donald had to wait until after his fourth season to get an extension. Nevertheless, the Panthers extended running back Christian McCaffrey last week, which surely caught Adams’ eye. McCaffrey was selected two picks after Adams in 2017, when the Jets made Adams the No. 6-overall pick.
The Jets angered Adams in the middle of last season when they entertained trade offers for him, most notably from the Cowboys. It is possible his name could come up again during next week’s NFL draft in trade discussions. The Cowboys may not have the salary-cap space to give Adams the extension he is seeking now, though. Dallas handed wide receiver Amari Cooper a monster contract last month and still needs to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott.
It is unclear exactly what Adams is seeking in a new contract, but he surely wants to be the highest-paid safety. Bears safety Eddie Jackson signed a four-year, $58.4 million deal with $33 million guaranteed in January. The $14.6 million average is the highest for safeties. The highest total safety contract belongs to Landon Collins, who got a six-year, $84 million deal from the Redskins last year.
“They’ve talked about it, no numbers yet,” Adams said at the Super Bowl in January. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t expect to be extended. I do because of not for what I’ve just done on the field, but even off the field for what I’ve done for the organization. I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to do. I’ve done it at a high level each and every year. I’ve proven that I’m the best safety doing it right now.”