The Jets are a mess, again. Yes I know. Not much new there.
And, like the Jets, their dueling controversies: the disturbing racial, sexual and ethical allegations made by CNN and the New York Times v. owner Woody Johnson, who the US ambassador to the United Kingdom denies, and the ongoing contractual contest with his best player, safety Jamal Adams, bled to death, creating the perfect sensational storm. Unfortunately, it’s almost like the glory days again, back at training camp in Courtland, New York, where Johnson briefed the media on how great his team’s chemistry and culture was, while, for Over his shoulder, Rex Ryan attempted to break up the melee after the offensive-defense bout.
Good times! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The NFL is the best alpha league, so when quality organizations see weak organizations struggling and vulnerable, looking like a friend in the water, well, that’s when they launch. And for months, several teams have been closely monitoring Adams’ situation, controlling the sale price, laughing at this hapless franchise that battles its stellar security over money and business demands. And with Adams among those who lashed out at Johnson this week immediately after lengthy reports of his words and deeds while serving in this country abroad, I can assure you that numerous headquarters are duplicating with the Jets and coordinating their strategies to attempt to benefit from this last episode.
From my interactions with the men on staff, I have a strong feeling that the teams feel that now might be the time to try and finish the Adams circus cheaply. There is a perception that, with Johnson’s accusations so serious, that even with the owner denying them, this story (and more reports on it) will not go away. Other teams think the Jets are immersed in crisis management mode, and that getting rid of Adams now may be in their best interest, given their willingness to influence Johnson’s situation on social media.
And with Adams voicing his distaste for Johnson, and other issues with the way this franchise runs, some GMs think they might as well throw the player a cheap life preserver; We will rescue you from the Jets disaster and lead you to a stable and winning culture, but in return you have made us a solid and wait until 2021 to get a new contract. The financial constraints due to COVID-19 and the ability to play games without fans only fuel some of that sentiment.
But I would like to strongly warn you.
As much as Adams wants to get out of New York, and he’s not the first prominent Jet to seek an exodus, let’s not forget what’s at the heart of his aftermath with the franchise that selected him in the first round just a few years ago. Friend wants to be paid. He has established himself as one of the best in the world in what he does, has endured rotation and instability during his tenure there, and is surrounded by a weak roster with no worthy candidate for a contract extension.
There are no other mouths to feed at Florham Park. Adams only. Only your best player.
We can discuss what your price should be and how much you should earn per year. It cannot be argued that the Jets have no other contractual situations to consider, let alone address them through negotiation. If they don’t want to pay you, then so be it, but it’s incredibly difficult for me to see Adams close a transaction and report anywhere else without a new contract.
Who knows how many games will be played this year and how many players will be awarded if there are fewer than 16 contests? That’s still the elephant in the room between the owners and the NFLPA as they continue to make good progress toward a radical deal to reopen the league. And I hope they solve that sooner or later. But Adams playing another year of his rookie contract on a prorated and grooved rookie contract just doesn’t pass my smell test.
Any attempt to screw him up, given his remarks on the property, and trying to send him to a bad team that might not be willing to pay him right now would only make this situation uglier than it already is. Sure, the new CBA makes holdouts increasingly punitive, but there will be COVID-related foreclosure options in this new NFL-NFLPA deal, and I have a feeling Adams is pretty stuck in his fiscal stance.
Now is not the time for the Jets to get cute. It may be time for them to get more real about what kind of recruiting selection compensation they could legitimately expect for security, with the scope of their franchise problems only deepening. And perhaps it could be that no team is willing to meet the demands of the Jets and also Adams’ financial expectations.
In fact, in a pandemic with so much uncertainty revolving over all parts of life in this country, that is to be expected. But I wouldn’t let things go wrong because this week’s events now make it more likely that a winning team will benefit by rushing in to save the day. Money talks. And it is at the heart of this impasse between the team and the player. I don’t see trade changing at all, even as this crisis deepens.
