Former New York Jets Star Has Shocking Admission About Trade Request

A former New York Jets star, who requested a trade from the team, made a shocking admission about that decision.

Dec 29, 2019; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets strong safety Jamal Adams (33) jogs on the field prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

There has been a lot that the New York Jets have done wrong in recent years that have led them to the position that they are stuck in.

Their 14-year playoff drought is the longest in North American sports currently. They clinched a ninth consecutive losing season weeks ago and will undergo an extensive search for a new general manager and head coach in the offseason.

However, there is one move that stands out during Joe Douglas’s tenure as a clear win for the franchise — trading safety Jamal Adams.

The No. 6 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft was a dynamic playmaker right out of the gate for the Jets. He was all over the field, getting involved as a run defender, rushnig the passer or dropping back into coverage.

One of the premier safeties in the league, Adams had already been named to the Pro Bowl team twice in his first three seasons in New York. He made the All-Pro Second Team in Year 2 and All-Pro First Team in Year 3.

A bonafide star, he wanted to be compensated as such. But, the Jets were not willing to pay him the kind of money he was seeking.

At a crossroads, the talented safety made a decision that would change the trajectory of his career forever. He requested a trade from the franchise, and they obliged, eventually trading him to the Seattle Seahawks along with a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

It is a decision that he recently revealed while speaking to GoLongTD.com, that he has grown to regret.

"Fans, I didn’t know I hurt ‘em like that. I didn’t realize I had that much impact. And then obviously the older I got, I started to realize, “Bro, you had it all. You had it all besides the winning. Everything else, you had it all. Anything a player could ask for.” But it didn’t work out for me. I asked for the trade out. And if I look back on it now, I would tell myself, 'Don’t make an emotional decision," he said.

In exchange for Adams, New York received first-round picks in 2021 and 2022 along with a third-rounder in 2021. The 2021 selections were both part of another trade, as the Jets dealt them to the Minnesota Vikings to move up and select USC Trojans offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker.

The 2022 first-rounder landed at No. 10 and the team used it to select star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Adding two foundational pieces like that to the roster was a huge win for New York. Receiving that kind of compensation for a player who doesn’t play a premium position was impressive enough, but Adams’s production fell off a cliff after his first year with the Seahawks.

In 2023, he made the Pro Bowl again and was selected to the All-Pro Second Team, as he recorded 9.5 sacks before an injury ended his season prematurely. That would be the beginning of the end of his dynamic play, as injuries took a toll.

In the four seasons since, Adams has not recorded another sack. He has had limited impact when healthy enough to stay on the field.

There is no guarantee things would have ended up differently had he remained with Gang Green, but it was a decision that he certainly has rued the more he has matured and been able to look back at things.