Dyer: If Jamal Adams Wants To Stay, The New York Jets Should Make It Happen
Jamal Adams doesn’t want to go anywhere. And he shouldn’t go anywhere.
On Wednesday following a slate of interviews along famed ‘Radio Row’ at the Super Bowl, Adams, the star safety of the New York Jets, sent a clear message that he wants to stay with the team. In his comments, which were run both by the New York Post and Newsday, Adams made it clear that he wants a new contract with the Jets.
A contract he said that he has earned and deserves. This, of course, after a 2019 season where he proved to be the NFL’s most dominant safety.
And he’s not wrong. He deserves a new contract. He also deserves to stay in New York.
The Jets need to pay the man, not just because he is a star and arguably the best safety in the league. But also because of the message that it sends to both his teammates. A message that will resound throughout the NFL.
This will be an offseason that undoubtedly will be a pivot for the franchise. It is the first true offseason for general manager Joe Douglas, who was hired last summer after the Jets had concluded the NFL Draft and much of free agency. In Douglas, the Jets hired a general manager who believes in building through the draft and supplementing that through free agency.
His mentality, those close to him say, is to bring in young players who fit the system and let them grow and develop. It is a philosophy that has worked well with the Baltimore Ravens, where Douglas spent the formative years of his career in scouting before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles and now the Jets.
The idea behind re-signing Adams, therefore, should resonate with Douglas. Adams is a player who has developed with the Jets. Now, he should be retained as he reaches stardom.
Adams is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract. Now is the time to sign him to a long-term deal so that he stays with the organization and allowed to continue to blossom in the green and white.
Here is a player the Jets, not Douglas, drafted and one who has blossomed in New York as he enters his fourth year in the league. Adams is this team’s only Pro Bowl player, the only one on the roster who is legitimately a superstar. Each year, he has taken a step forward. This past year proved his star quality.
That he has fan appeal shouldn’t matter much when deciding whether to extend him a long-term deal. What should matter is that he is an impact player.
His 61 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 7 passes defended and an interception speak volumes of his success on the field. That he has bought into the Jets direction in terms of their rebuild is a massive indicator that he is not just a keystone on the field but a building block off of it.
Having a player the caliber of Adams endorsing the rebuild should resonate not just in the Jets locker room but also throughout the league. He is a known commodity and a proven star.
Signing Adams to a long-term deal sends a signal to the rest of the league and free agents in particular that the Jets are ready to compete, that they have a willingness to build on last year’s 7-9 record and strong conclusion to the season.
Adams deserves that new contract. He deserves to be the face of the Jets moving forward.
