Did the New York Jets improve? Former NFL GM Randy Mueller on the Jamal Adams trade
In acquiring Jamal Adams, the Seattle Seahawks emerged from this weekend’s trade with the New York Jets as the clear-cut winner in the near-term. So says former NFL general manager Randy Mueller in his assessment of this weekend’s massive trade.
Adams, an All-Pro and arguably the top safety in the NFL, puts a Seahawks team that has made the postseason in seven of the last eight years squarely among the best teams in the league. The same can’t be said of the Jets who traded away their best player over the weekend and haven’t seen the playoffs since 2010.
“It's good for both teams but the timing is better for the Seahawks in my opinion - they are in win now mode- older coach, proven and signed quarterback and Adams helps a defense that was bad against the run,” Mueller told Sports Illustrated’s Jets Country.
“The Jets get two late first round picks-no guarantee. They may or may not contribute for a couple more years, if at all, that's a long way away.”
A Jets team seemingly in constant rebuilding mode likely punted on 2020 with the trade of Adams.
Mueller is a former general manager of the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins who also spent a decade as senior executive of football operations with the née San Diego Chargers. He began his career in the league in 1983 with the Seahawks as a pro personnel assistant, rising a dozen years later to become vice president of football operations with the organization.
The issue with Adams and the Jets stems back to the player’s desire for a new contract. Adams has wanted a contract that would make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL and one of the top earning defensive players. Last month in a social media post, Adams said that was promised an offer from the Jets this offseason and the team has failed to give him one. Adams is in the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract and the Jets could still have used the franchise tag to control him through 2023.
As a result of his desire for a new deal now, he demanded a trade from the Jets. He continued to up the volume on his discontent as last week, he bashed both Woody Johnson (who bought the Jets in 2000) and then head coach Adam Gase.
“[This] sets a bad precedent by trading a player they controlled for two to three more years just because he was vocal in his attempt to get out,” Mueller said. “I'm not against the trade, I just wouldn't have done it now.”
