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Jamal Adams had it all. He was selected sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2017 draft. He was quickly considered one of the best safeties in the NFL as well as the Jets’ best player. And he was setting himself up for a major payday. But Adams wanted the Jets to sign him to a lucrative long term extension after his third season. Instead, the team picked up his fifth-year option. This led to growing animosity between the player and team executives and Adams ultimately asked for, and was granted, a trade. Years later Adams regretted making that trade request.
But there were no regrets on the Jets' end. New York absolutely fleeced the Seattle Seahawks in the Adams deal, sending Jamal and a 2022 fourth-rounder to the Pacific Northwest for veteran safety Bradley McDougald, first- and third-round picks in 2021 and an additional first-round selection in 2022.
Now, five years after the acrimonious split, Adams admits he wants back in. “I would love to be back with the Jets and, obviously, finish it the right way… Man, that would be a dream come true, just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it right,” Adams said per Bobby Kownack of NFL.com.
Jamal Adams is now as desperate to be a Jet as he was to leave New York in 2020
Nyj Vs Oak
Adams was on an upward trajectory during his time in New York. Make no mistake, Jets-era Jamal Adams was a force of nature. But once he became a Seahawk, however, injuries derailed his promising career. In his time with Seattle, from 2020-2023 he missed 33 of 67 possible games.
After his release by the Seahawks, the Jets acknowledged “zero” interest in reuniting with the safety.
But following the Detroit Lions’ decision to sign him and release him shortly afterward, Adams – now a free agent – has his sights set on the Big Apple. But it’s a long shot that new head coach Aaron Glenn will be interested in bringing Adams back for his age-30 season.
Still, for the true believers out there, Jamal Adams will always be a Jet. He joined the team during a very dark time – year seven of the Jets’ now-14 year hiatus from the postseason. He lost Todd Bowles as his head coach and was saddled with Adam Gase. Importantly, he was one of very few players at the time that Jets fans could feel a semblance of pride in given his All-Pro and Pro Bowl pedigree.
And, most importantly, the picks New York received for him paid off. Ultimately, the Jets turned Adams into guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and wideout Garrett Wilson, who the Jets selected with the Seahawks’ 10th overall pick in 2022.
So, all-in-all, Jets fans will be forever grateful for Jamal Adams. But a late career return to his old stomping grounds seems unlikely.
