Mike Tannebaum: Jamal Adams 'will be ready to play' when the season starts

Former New York Jets general manager says he doesn't have concerns about star safety Jamal Adams skipping offseason plans.

Jamal Adams will be ready for the start of the season, no matter what is currently buzzing around about his future with the New York Jets.  This is welcome news for Jets general manager Joe Douglas, and it comes from a man who once sat in that same office, behind that same desk. 

Mike Tannenbaum was the last general manager of the Jets to see the team to the playoffs, a decade-long streak that Douglas is hoping to snap sooner rather than later. While the offseason has been a solid if not a downright good one for Douglas and the Jets, there is a storm cloud on the horizon. 

The fact that All-Pro safety Jamal Adams might not participate in the team’s offseason plans, as reported on Friday morning by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it isn’t something that Tannenbaum thinks should worry the Jets at this juncture. 

“Jamal will be ready to play,” Tannenbaum told SportsIllustrated.com. “It’s only April.” 

The pragmatic, long-term outlook is a stark contrast to the reactionary vibe on social media from Jets fans that followed Schefter’s reporting. Tannenbaum is an analyst for ESPN. 

The future of Adams with the Jets is still a rosy outlook, with Douglas saying in late February from the NFL Combine that he wanted to sign his star player to a long-term deal. During the season, Adams had generated interest from the Dallas Cowboys prior to the trade deadline. The Jets only did their due diligence at the time and nothing close to a deal materialized. 

But when asked what team would be the best fit if the Jets were ready to move on from Adams, Tannenbaum simply said “Dallas.” 

“He would probably net a first round pick in a trade,” Tannenbaum said. 

If the Jets were to try and keep Adams long-term, the former general manager said that the price tag won’t be cheap. 

“He would be the highest paid safety in the NFL,” Tannenbaum said.