Are the New York Jets in danger of giving up on Jamal Adams too soon? The franchise has a sad history of players they have given up on too soon.
John Riggins is known for being the hardnosed running back who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins. But did you know that Riggins spent his first five seasons with the Jets?
Keyshawn Johnson is the talented receiver who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. Johnson’s first four seasons were spent in Gotham.
Raheem Mostert is one part of a three-headed monster rushing attack that helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl last year. Mostert was a practice roster player with the Jets for all of a week in 2016.
The First Shot
In the exit interviews following a 2019 season where the Jets went 7-9, general manager Joe Douglas made it clear that he wanted to keep Adams as a Jet for life. Jamal Adams was amenable to that sentiment. He has become the heartbeat of the Jets, the sparkplug that gives the rest of the team their juice. But it was reported over the weekend that Adams decided to skip the team’s voluntary offseason program. He is in the third year of a five-year rookie deal that will see him being paid $3.5 million in 2020.
The Rumor that Wouldn’t Die
Around the trade deadline in 2019, it was rumored that the Jets were entertaining offers for Jamal Adams. The Dallas Cowboys, in particular, were targeting him and teased a package that included a first-round pick in this draft and two second-round picks. Douglas said that he fielded calls and listened to offers, but made no outbound calls about Adams. After Adams had a screed of apocalyptic proportions on Twitter, he calmed down.
Jets S Jamal Adams weighs in after today. pic.twitter.com/LkEtwznFh1
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 29, 2019
He then played the remainder of the season like his hair was on fire. Those rumors have not seemed to go away, though. It appears that the Cowboys are trying to woo Adams away from the Jets again.
Will History Repeat Itself?
Keyshawn Johnson was beginning to emerge as the face of the franchise after his second consecutive All-Pro season in 1999. He wanted a contract extension with more money. But new team owners Woody and Chris Johnson looked to move the Jets across the river to Manhattan. That meant contract renegotiation for their star player was second on the priority list.
Keyshawn was eventually traded to Tampa Bay prior to the 2000 NFL Draft for the 13th overall and 27th overall picks. The rest is history; Keyshawn landed the big contract and a Super Bowl ring two seasons later. It also began what has been, at times, a contemptuous relationship between ownership and the fans.
Jamal Adams has stated that he wants to be a New York Jet for life. But are the Jets looking to collect draft capital to build their team? If so, the Jets may be at risk of repeating history. Giving up on Adams would mean giving up on yet another franchise player sooner than they should have.
Do you agree or disagree? Comment below or find me on Twitter, @WhoIsRyanMcC.
