The New York Jets have an obvious need at safety. An old friend is out of a job.
Could it really be happening?
When Jamal Adams was drafted by the Jets with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 draft, the hope was that would be the kind of transcendent talent the organization was praying for in the secondary.
While his career certainly started that way, issues on and off the field ended Adams’ tenure in New York as one of the more disapointing in recent memory.
After bouncing around the league in the last few years (and getting into Twitter squabbles with Jets reporters), Adams is out looking for a job. And a return to Florham Park is on the table… at least in his eyes.
Adams Pushes For Jets Reunion
Speaking on an X/Twitter spaces with the Jets Lounge, the former Pro Bowl and All-Pro safety for New York made it clear that despite how his tenure with the team ended, he is willing to do what he needs to for a potential reunion.
“I would love to be back with the Jets and obviously finish it the right way,” Adams said. “Man, that would be a dream come true just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it work.”
Adams requested a trade after the 2019 season because the team was not competing for wins. The Jets haven’t gotten any better in that regard, but they have boosted the roster with plenty of talent.
It’s one of the reasons Adams seems to be willing to have a change of heart in how his tenure ended in New York.
Just because the veteran safety wants to return, though, it doesn’t mean the Jets feel the same way. And at the end of the day, there are both pros and cons to the potential reunion.
Pros
Arguably the biggest motivation to make the move is New York’s need at the safety position. It is one of the more unknown positions on the Jets’ roster, featuring four players competing for playing time.
Andre Cisco, Tony Adams, Malachi Moore, and Dean Clark are considered the four players who may be competing for a starting role. Of the four, Cisco, Moore, and even Adams can be considered coverage safeties.
New York doesn’t have a true in-the-box safety who can stop the run, as well as be used for timely blitzes. That alone is where Jamal Adams can be used. While he won’t win any contests in coverage, he can play a very niche role in any defense.
The fact that head coach Aaron Glenn has historically run a defense with significant usage of blitz packages shows that there may be a need for a player like Adams and his skill set.
That doesn’t mean the team should come to terms with an agreement, though.
Cons
Adams is not the same player he once was when he reached All-Pro status back in the early years of his career. While box safeties are needed, those kinds of players also need to be somewhat decent in coverage.
That hasn’t been Adams for a while now.
A potential signing would also go against New York’s entire offseason plan. The Jets focused heavily on getting young players throughout the roster for better competition. Glenn defended his offseason plan by calling the sport “a young man’s game.”
The average age of players brought in by the Jets this offseason is 26.5. Adams is going to be 30 years old midway through the year. With a declining skill set, and an already full position group to coach up, the Jets may simply avoid any free agent signings moving forward.
Bringing back Adams may excite some of the Jets fanbase, but the risks may simply outweigh the alternative. At the very least, while Adams may have buried the hatchet with his former team. That doesn’t mean the organization has.
