The insanity, immaturity behind the Jamal Adams-New York Jets situation

The insanity behind the Jamal Adams-New York Jets saga is apparent and completely inexplicable for one real-life reason. The insanity and immaturity are both present. It's apparent. It just doesn't have to be this way. In fact, it shouldn't be happening during this specific time in the world. The idea that Jamal Adams is creating all of this noise during a time in which he and New York Jets representation are restricted from meeting face to face is an overlooked and extremely troubling issue. Any strategy that doesn't feature a legitimate conversation in person feels like an all-show hand to play. Hard-working New Yorkers and New Jerseyans are struggling at the moment. Jobless and even hungry in many cases, every dollar represents significant value. As New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy slowly announces the reopening of the state, breakouts across the country plague other efforts. On Saturday, Rob Manfred and baseball shut down all 30 training camps after a recent coronavirus surge that saw outbreaks in various hotspots. Despite everybody's best-laid plans, including the NFL's, uncertainty looms large. The Jets' best player spits in the eye of uncertainty. Why Adams decided this past week was the right move to blow up the NFL world is something nobody yet knows. Is it truly about the money? All told, Adams is scheduled to make over $30 million over his five-year rookie deal in New York. Again, public displays of defiance over money during a time when hard-working New Yorkers are jobless and struggling could be an act never forgiven. Maybe Adams knows this. Maybe not. Maybe it's a strategy to help drill that final nail in the coffin. Adams has always been a young man looking to visit big places and do great things. Think LeBron James during the Summer of 2010. The young kid with the weight of the basketball world on his shoulders announced that he would be "taking his talents to South Beach." What the world witnessed that night was a scared kid worried he'd be championship-less in a league that defines all-time greats on rings. While the NFL is the furthest thing from the NBA, Adams owns that superstar mindset. He must win and he must win now. Due to Adams's public display of frustration without much evidence that the Jets have wronged him in a severe fashion (save for the first offer to come in January that never came comment), fans have turned on him in droves, believing it has everything to do with winning and not money. Most Jets fanatics believe his mission statement includes finding a franchise that would dare view him on the level of a Tom Brady or Aaron Donald and immediately hang up the phone when another team comes calling. Oh yeah, and as long as that team is an already-made winner: the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1927 New York Yankees, 1996 Chicago Bulls, etc. Any of those teams will do just fine. Hell, reports are already surfacing that he's willing to play for another team and not re-up until after the 2020 season---something's he's unwilling to do with the Jets. The kid's recent unabashed actions are almost too much to take, and so much so that it's hard to believe he thinks this strategy is in his best interest. Odds are, while money can be used as a factor, there's so much more at play. Where are his backers? San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams tagged Adams in an Instagram post that featured the big man signing his new deal. Former Jet Demario Davis called out Adams's eventual ascending (and possibly unreachable) level on Twitter. https://twitter.com/demario__davis/status/1274486761671012353 But it was another former Jet, Antonio Cromartie, who delivered the bombshell on Saturday. https://twitter.com/CRO31/status/1274399114898399233 "Just had a great conversation with Prez and all I can say is I’m not shocked at all," Cromartie tweeted. Through the comments is where an interesting tidbit came to life. https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1274411602243092482 "I want the best for the organization, but when you hire a HC that doesn't care," Cromartie commented. Of course, the Jets couldn't go an entire offseason without Adam Gase talk. From squabbles with seemingly the entire Miami Dolphins locker room to issues with Quincy Enunwa and Kelechi Osemele, Gase is the entire reason everything sucks in this world and no Jet can stay healthy (realize the sarcasm, please). It's insanity. Unless there's something that's seriously not known, how Gase is now being thrown into the mix may prove to be the extra nail in the coffin that buries Adams as a New York athlete. Adams is incredibly in-tune with the Jets hatred for Gase and perhaps mixing his name in there will help him sway the public relations battle just a tad. Cromartie, Demario, Trent and even Ryan Clark, who's served as Adams's media mouthpiece, have been his boys through the turmoil. But where are his teammates? Wouldn't it have made sense to see at least one of his teammates stand up and back the man? Crickets. Granted, when an NFL player is dealing with a contractual/business issue, most players steer clear, no matter the public perception. But for such a "lovable" and "fierce leader" (with incredible qualities to go around) to not see one teammate jump up in defiance is a little strange. Stop playing the social media game Adams just cannot separate himself from social media. Forget speaking with other celebrities; the man continues to post comments to other fans. His latest came on Saturday and claimed he'd be "dropping the real story today." On Friday, Adams liked and unliked a tweet from what looked like a Buffalo Bills fan or fake account that looked to stir the pot. The idea that Adams is truly judging the Jets fanbase through social media would be an alarming one. Despite his millennial status, he must know the vocal minority represents social media among any segment in the world, yet strangely enough, he hasn't acted as if that's the case. Once again, this either means he's overlooking many things or he's playing the game in order to create a clean break from the franchise and its fans. Playing the social media game business game is a no-no in terms of market value. Not only will he lower his value in the eyes of other organizations, but he will also make it tougher for one of those teams to pull off a deal with the Jets. It's hard to believe such a smart, business-savvy kid is overlooking all of these factors, which makes it more logical that he's creating all of this noise to simply break away as quickly as possible. And while Adams continues to make noise, the Jets have said nothing, which is the appropriate response. Joe Douglas and Jamal Adams need to meet face to face and talk out whatever needs to be discussed---no matter the end result. Stop with the social media silliness and handle things the correct way---the advice somebody close to Adams needs to start preaching if only to help his own stock. In terms of his relationship with the Jets fan, that ship has mostly sailed. Even if a surprising re-signing were to happen tomorrow, a great portion of the fanbase will never forgive the man. The fashion for which he handled it and the timing was all wrong, all selfish, all him, him, him. And in a gritty, hard-working area such as New York/New Jersey, that's something that'll never be forgotten---especially during these crazy times. To voice displeasure and attempt to work out business over social media during a time when a face-to-face conversation with the current employer is impossible is insanity and immaturity beyond belief.