Only one single voice and desire truly matters in the contract saga featuring Jamal Adams and the New York Jets.
Will they? Won’t they? Does Joe Douglas drop to his knees in automatic begging formation or would he dare abide by his foundational team-building principles that helped his teams win three Super Bowls?
The former would involve an immediate extension. Disregard the rarity that is an NFL player extending prior to the fourth year on a rookie deal. Dropping in that begging formation would dish the big bucks out swiftly.
The latter would promote an oldie yet a goodie that’s been tried and tested in this league for ages. Never is one man bigger than the team and value rules all under the rigors of the hard salary cap.
The uncertainty surrounding this predicament is great. The questions are many. Yet, interestingly, only one man’s voice truly matters here and it sure isn’t the general manager’s.
Jamal Adams’s true intentions are the only critical topic of discussion and, strangely enough, very few are digging this deep.
Does the man even want to be a New York Jets employee?
Nobody knows, which is normal—which can be expected when suffering through a saga of this magnitude. Believing the Jets’ actions will spearhead the direction of the two parties is what’s not normal.
Adams, 24, is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal. As he’s fully aware, players in this league hold very little power. Holding services back is a player’s only recourse when negotiating at the big boy table and which type of player ever wants to do such a thing? To voluntarily take away your lifelong passion while negotiating a deal for that exact passion is just one of the cruel fates the football gods bestow on today’s game.
The LSU product wants a new deal. That much cannot be disputed. But does he want a new deal or is he using the idea of wanting a new deal in such a vigorous way that it allows him to play Kurt Russell?
A great argument can be made Adams is looking to “Escape from New York.”