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The relationship between the New York Jets and safety Jamal Adams might be headed towards divorce, but according to one former NFL general manager, that is far from ideal. Keeping the disgruntled Adams if possible is the way to go according to Jeff Diamond.

The contract impasses between Adams, seeking a long-term deal to make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, and the Jets appears to be declining quickly. Over the past week, a report surfaced that Adams has requested a trade from the Jets, something that he all but confirmed via his social media channels. He was even caught on video saying he was hopeful of a trade to the Dallas Cowboys.

But the best case scenario for the Jets is not a trade of Adams, so says Diamond, a former NFL general manager.

“I think that from the Jets standpoint, the best scenario is to keep one of their best players. They need good players,” Diamond told SportsIllsutrated.com's 'Jets Country.'

“You don’t want to be losing one of your top players. So, if you have to make him a $15 million a year safety, then go ahead and do it…Unless he is absolutely adamant he isn’t going to play for Adam Gase. I’d have a hard time believing that [but] I guess it’s possible. That’s their best option. They have the ability cap wise to make a deal like that and get it done. To keep him as opposed to trading him. It’s tough to trade players who have big salary demands. It’s really difficult. It happens from time to time but it’s really tough.”

Diamond is a former general manager of the Minnesota Vikings who then became president of the Tennessee Titans.

The question about Adams centers on his contract. He is absolutely deserving of a payraise and to be compensated as the best safety in the NFL, which he is. The question for the Jets is of value and fit. On Twitter, Adams claimed that the Jets promised him a contract offer in January and that nothing has come down the pipeline yet.

Do the Jets, a 7-9 team a year ago and still rebuilding, value making a safety their highest-paid player? That is a considerable hit on their salary cap and can throw off the rebuild if they still need to address other areas on the roster such as offensive line, wide receiver and edge rusher as well as cornerback.

Investing that money in Adams could hamper the ability of general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Adam Gase from addressing more pressing issues. A safety, even if an All-Pro, might not rank as high on their priority list in continuing the rebuild.

But given that the Jets are nowhere near being ready to compete for the playoffs or the division, so signing Adams to the long-term deal he wants could help solidify the roster in the backend and actually allow them to address other needs. It would take salary cap space but is better long-term rather than playing musical chairs on the roster and opening another hole that would need to be filled.

“I think the Jets best option is to get a deal going. It might cost them a little bit more but necessarily where C.J. Mosley was but I think he was overpaid in the first place,” Adams said.

“The Jets have had so many issues. They have to get better pass protection for Darnold who I think can still be a very good player. They lost Robby Anderson…is Denzel Mims ready to step right in? Le’Veon Bell, I thought it was a shaky signing and as it turns out, he had less than 800 yards running on the year and that turned out not to be a great signing for them either and at some point, they’re going to cut the chord there. There’s a lot of things going on with the Jets and ultimately, they have to get a handle on things. The draft does look good.”