Jamal Adams has asked to be traded by the New York Jets.
After three seasons in the NFL and with the New York Jets, there’s not a single person denying the type of talent safety Jamal Adams has. That’s why the Jets have said publicly they want him to be with the team for life and why everyone has wondered why the Jets hadn’t started talks about an extension. And now they’ve waited too long.
On Thursday, after Adams expressed an apparent desire (again) to be traded, he indeed requested to be traded by the New York Jets, as reported by ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Now comes the question of if they should deal the safety or not.
There is the obvious downside to this in that Adams is one of the best and most versatile defensive backs in the NFL already. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Adams ranked in the top 10 in run defense, pass rush and coverage grades among safeties while ranking as the No. 5 overall safety. All of this at just 24 years old.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
At the same time, the fact that Adams is requesting the trade changes things. And it’s for that reason that the Jets can’t be salty about this and need to make the move as quickly as they’re able to.
The New York Jets need to oblige Jamal Adams as soon as possible.
Adams has been nothing but clear about what he wants up to this point. He’s said numerous times that he wants an extension prior to this season because he feels he’s earned it — and in truth, he probably has. Yet, he’s also said that the Jets haven’t started any talks about that contract, which has led us to this point.
Because the organization has, essentially, not been willing to play ball with their star player, they’ve now backed themselves into a corner. But it’s critical for the team to realize that continuing to bang their head against the wall in the situation they’re now in would only do more harm to the franchise’s future.
The fact that the Jets have played the silliest game of hardball to this point already has caused them to lose some leverage in a potential trade. But the longer they wait, the more leverage they’re going to lose.
Subsequently, New York needs to find a trade partner as soon as they possibly can. Doing so will ensure that, given a situation where they are going to eventually lose a player for nothing because he’s clearly unhappy with them now, the Jets get the best deal possible in terms of returning compensation to continue building with.