Jamal Adams was a headache for the New York Jets but now says 'I'm not a distraction...I'm far from a problem'
After being a non-stop distraction in the New York Jets locker room since last fall, Jamal Adams is now taking on the mantle of being the consummate teammate. Adams, traded to the Seattle Seahawks last weekend, told the local media on Thursday that he is excited to fit in and has never been a distraction.
Last Friday, Adams bashed the Jets organization, capping off several weeks of discontent where he openly lobbied for a trade, criticized Woody Johnson (who bought the Jets in 2000) and then bashed general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Adam Gase in a New York Daily News story last Friday.
On Thursday’s conference call with the media, Adams was asked if his recent trade demands from the Jets is something he needs to address with his new teammates.
“I think these guys know, they know,” Adams said.
“I’ve had some conversations a couple guys, not all of them yet. These guys know, I’m here to play ball. That’s just how I am. I’m not a distraction in the locker room, I’ve never been in trouble in my life growing up. It just never happened. Anybody that was my teammate or knows me will tell you that I’m far from a problem. I just want to win. That’s it.”
Last October, a report surfaced that the Jets had received a call from the Dallas Cowboys on the eve of the trade deadline about a possible trade for the Pro Bowl safety. This led Adams to publicly bash the Jets for doing their due diligence, a situation that Douglas and Gase quickly handled. But over the course of the past month, Adams has publicly attacked the team and asked for a trade, running counter to the notion that he isn’t a distraction at some level.
The shots fired at Johnson last week on social media and then the entirety of the Daily News story certainly pointed to a player who was making a problem for his previous organization in New York. The relationship between Adams and the team was untenable after last week’s antics.
The Jets dealt Adams and a fourth round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for a starting safety (Bradley McDougald), two first round picks (2021, 2022) and a third round pick (2021).
The two first round picks figure to be at the end of the draft’s first day, given that the Seahawks are a playoff-caliber team. Adams, considered one of the top defensive players in the league, wasn’t disappointed by the return on value received by the Jets in the deal.
“At the end of the day, you have to realize, everyone is going to have an opinion about something,” Adams said.
“At the end of the day, I have to go out there and continue to do what I do, continue to learn. At the end of the day, people who watch ball and know me, it doesn’t really matter. If you turn on the film, I do a little bit more than stay in the box. I’m excited to go out there and compete. At the end of the day, everyone is going to have an opinion. It’s going to happen. I can’t control that as long as I can control what I do on the field and what I do off the field, that’s what matters the most.
“I’m an energy guy, I’m a juice guy. I love to have fun. That’s just who I am and I’m never going to change who I am.”
