Jets' Joe Douglas disputes Jamal Adams' account of contract fallout: 'I never promised an offer'
Adams was traded to the Seahawks for a 2021 and 2022 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick and safety Bradley McDougald
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas is determined to get the last word on the Jamal Adams saga.
In his first public remarks since news broke that the Jets traded the young safety to the Seattle Seahawks following a long and public dispute about Adams’ contract in New York, Douglas told reporters Monday there was never an offer promised to Adams in the first place.
JETS’ LE’VEON BELL SPARS WITH JAMAL ADAMS AFTER SAFETY IS TRADED TO SEAHAWKS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I want to make it clear: I never promised an offer to Jamal or his agent,” Douglas said, according to the New York Post. “Nor was I ever dishonest with any communications with their camp.”
Douglas’ account is drastically different from the one Adams told the New York Daily News last week.
According to Adams, he was told by Douglas that they would discuss a contract extension in the offseason. As months went by and the team began to sign more rookies, Adams said the conversation turned.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Jets' Jamal Adams (33) celebrates with Brian Poole (34) after Poole intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
“If they would have just simply said, ‘You know what, Jamal, we’re not going to look to pay you this year, we want to keep adding players' – I would have respected that more,” he said. “I would say, ‘You know what? I respect it. As a man, I get it. I understand it’s a business.’ But for them to tell me that they’re going to pay me and then not send over a proposal after they said that’s what they were going to, that’s where we go wrong. And then for you to ignore me, that’s why I have a problem.”
But Douglas says that never happened.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It certainly wasn’t the plan when I first arrived,” Douglas said of the trade. “It was just the circumstances of how it happened, how it played out. It really was our plan to keep Jamal here, but when our conversations started with [Seahawks GM John Schneider] and Seattle several weeks ago, the focus became clear that this is a great opportunity for us and the franchise moving forward.”
Adams has not shied away from critiquing his former team, including slamming head coach Adam Gase, but Douglas said he’s not taking anything personally, it's just “business.”
“Obviously, there was a reason why those things were said. I don’t take those things personally. I don’t think anyone takes those things personally. You kind of understand why those things were said. I can promise you that didn’t affect us with any of our decision-making that happened over the last week.”
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Adams was drafted by the Jets sixth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. A two-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro last season, Adams was traded to the Seahawks for a 2021 and 2022 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick and safety Bradley McDougald.