FOX Sports Mark Schlereth on New York Jets All-Pro safety: 'Jamal Adams should get paid'

New York Jets All-Pro safety Jamal Adams should get a new deal according to FoxSports Mark Schlereth

Until Jamal Adams is either the highest-paid New York Jets player or is in another uniform, the saga will never get out of the headlines. Jets general manager Joe Douglas announced this week the team’s intentions to pick up Adams’ fifth-year option, ensuring that he will be under contract through the 2021 season. His contract for those years will be $9.9 million.

The story isn’t over because Jamal wants a new contract before then. There were trade rumors about the two-time Pro Bowler before the recently completed NFL Draft, yet nothing came to fruition.

“I want all players to get paid and Jamal Adams definitely should get paid,” said FOX Sports’ Mark Schlereth in an exclusive interview with SportsIllustrated.com ‘Jets Country’ contributor Seth Everett. 

“It may come down to he's going to have to go somewhere else to ultimately see the big payday that he wants. We've seen safeties, especially middle of the field safeties, we've seen those guys get paid. Like every one of those guys has gone out on the market and gotten a heap of money.”

The Jets don’t have to rush to make any moves involving Adams. The 2019 All-Pro selection is under contract for two more seasons and the Jets could use the franchise tag on him in 2022 if that is their prerogative. It has been reported that Adams won’t participate in the Jets “virtual” off-season program, and reports indicate that it is because of his unhappiness with his contract situation. 

The NFL announced that no workouts are taking place and over the video conference applications are the only things that coaches can hold are meetings and instructional conversations and no actual workouts. Adams not logging into those chats can be taken as a sign about his desire for a new, long-term contract.

Adam Gase told reporters in a conference call on Monday that Adams’ absence is “voluntary." 

"It’s one of those things where guys have a choice if they want to do this, they can, if they don’t, that’s just what it is," Gase said on the call with reporters. "That’s the CBA rules and there’s nothing we can really do about that.” 

Adams has excelled for the Jets since they drafted him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the No. 6 overall pick. As Schlereth points out, there is a long line of top safeties that have been paid in recent years and Adams is likely to be the next one.

This past year, Adams was the only Jets player selected to the Pro Bowl.