Long-suffering Jets fans can appreciate the discipline general manager Joe Douglas is showing in his first offseason in charge. After decades of poor roster and salary cap management, the Jets have been sticking to their charts, passing on players who they've deemed overvalued in the marketplace.
Douglas, however, is now facing his most difficult test of his principles in his showdown with safety Jamal Adams, New York's most decorated player.
As I outlined in a January column, this brouhaha is all about timing. Per overthecap.com, Adams, 25, received a $2.765 million roster bonus in March. The rest of the year, he will earn $825,000.
Coming off a first-team All-Pro season during which he led the team, or finished second, in nearly every statistical defensive category, Adams has vastly outperformed his contract. Eligible for an extension on his rookie deal, Adams, Gang Green's sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, wants his hefty up-front bonus now.
The Jets, of course, don't have to do anything. They already exercised Adams' fifth-year option calling for an approximately $9.86 million 2021 salary and can then franchise tag him for the following two seasons, if they choose.
Still, Douglas previously declared that he intended to make Adams "a Jet for life" and planned to engage Adams' representatives after the draft and free agency. So far, Douglas reportedly hasn't been that engaged in the talks. Per Jets beat reporter Connor Hughes, the discussions have yet to even include possible terms of an extension. Instead, Adams was informed that the Jets are ready to wait this out.
Don't be surprised if Adams, who was angered when his name was leaked to the media at the 2019 trade deadline and has already skipped the first voluntary virtual minicamp, seeks an escape before the start of this season.
Lines in the sand are fine if you are on stable footing. The Jets, as we all know, are not. They need to be a little flexible when it comes to their best player. Nothing has changed in my mind since January—pay the man.
Meanwhile, most other media takes have been pro-Douglas. I'm here to debunk their reasonings:
1) It's unsafe to spend big on a safety
Forget the chorus from the analytics-obsessed types that safety isn't a premium position. Unlike your typical NFL safety, Adams was moved around by Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams last season like he was former Pittsburgh great Troy Polamalu. Per ProFootballFocus.com, Adams lined up 96 times as a linebacker along the defensive line, 401 times in the box, 34 times as a wide corner, and 297 times as a deep safety. The guy can cover, stuff the run AND pressure QBs. The disruptions Adams created forced opposing offenses to account for him on every down. How valuable is that? Over the last two seasons, PFF ranked Adams as the league's seventh-most valuable non-quarterback. Don't tell me, "He's just a safety."
2) It's just not done
Another argument I hear is that these extensions are rare. Per ESPN, only 16 of 223 first-rounders since 2011 received a new contract after their third season, including Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey, who was taken two slots after Adams in 2017 and got his new deal done in April. Few mention that Chicago safety Eddie Jackson, a 2017 fourth-rounder, also was recently re-upped for four years at $58.4 million. Jackson's 2020 cash intake will be the third-most in the league at his position. Adams, a far superior player, is currently 37th.
As ESPN's Rich Cimini noted, Adams is being advised by his father, former Giants running back George Adams, which makes for interesting comparisons with how former Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis used to go about the business side of football when his uncle, NFL defensive lineman Sean Gilbert, was in Revis' ear. Revis defied norms by constantly holding out while under contract. Adams may be prepared to do the same thing, even if he's initially fined.
3) It's a slippery slope
Douglas may not want to set a precedent, but it's not like he's going to find a line of players under team control for multiple years outside his office demanding new contracts every season. No one, and that includes quarterback Sam Darnold, will be bringing Adams-like bonafides to the table in the next few years. In the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement, fifth-year options will be based on performance rather than on original first-round draft position. I highly doubt Darnold will miraculously morph into Patrick Mahomes this season and demand new money early. More likely he continues his slow but substandard progress under coach Adam Gase, which would leave Darnold with little leverage.
4) It's a cap-wrecker
As I noted in January, the Jets have enough flexibility in their salary cap where they can put prorated bonus money in any Adams extension into their unused 2020 space, thereby minimizing damage to future seasons. For instance, if Adams agrees to a four-year, $68 million contract with a $25 million signing bonus, the Jets can take a $5 million prorated bonus hit this season. In addition, the Jets are slated to have space aplenty in the years to come—even after adjustments from the COVID-19 pandemic--especially if, as many presume, running back Le'Veon Bell comes off after this season. If only the Jets were attempting to squeeze more players who have Adams' impact into their cap—not less.
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