Jamal Adams is frustrated that the New York Jets have not yet signed him to a contract extension, and that frustration boiled over this week when the Pro Bowl safety requested a trade. That does not mean the Jets intend to part ways with him, however.
The Jets still want to sign Adams to an extension and feel he is a “building block” for their team going forward, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. Teams have simply been unwilling to shell out big-money contracts to players while uncertainty swirls about revenue and the 2021 salary cap situation, so the Jets are trying to wait things out.
From @GMFB: The #Jets view Jamal Adams as a huge piece moving forward and despite his trade request… they may just do nothing and wait him out. pic.twitter.com/EDuYjRBjZN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 19, 2020
Adams, who will earn $3.5 million this season, does not want to wait. He has made it clear that he wants a new deal as soon as possible, but he’s also under contract for just under $13 million in 2021 after the Jets exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. The new collective bargaining agreement states that any player who is not present at the start of training camp will not earn an accrued season toward free agency, so Adams doesn’t have a ton of leverage other than becoming a headache.
Tension has been brewing between Adams and the Jets all offseason. The 24-year-old reportedly gave the team a list of rivals he wants to be traded to this week.
