Does the trade of Jamal Adams set the New York Jets back another year in their rebuild?

This weekend, the New York Jets traded their star player in Jamal Adams. For a rebuilding team, it might extend the process another year longer.

Over the weekend, there has been universal praise for the New York Jets and general manager Joe Douglas for receiving two first-round picks, a third-rounder and a starting safety in the Jamal Adams trade. To have four first-round picks in the next two drafts helps the future but as NFL insider John Clayton told Sports Illustrated’s Jets Country, this upcoming season might be difficult for the Jets.

“It depends on what their timetable is because what this does it sets things back,” Clayton said. “It puts them in a position where they're probably going to be a top 10 team in the draft next year.”

Douglas didn’t shy away from this fact in his statement Saturday night. He called the trade, “a unique opportunity to improve our team with multiple first-round picks in each of the next two years and the flexibility to continue to build this team for the future.”

As for this year’s team, the key for the defense will be the play of newly acquired Bradley McDougald. A perennial starter for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks since 2014, Clayton mentioned that last season McDougald slowed down a step. He said McDougald is still a consistent tackler but a huge dropoff in playmaking ability from Jamal Adams.

“Adding Bradley McDougald’s consistency and production to this year’s team was an important piece that gives us more experience on defense,” Douglas said in his statement.

“It's a step back, but it's not a major, major, major step back,” said former Jets wide receiver Rob Carpenter. “I think a lot of people probably would think to lose Jamal would be that, but they did recoup a playmaker. He's a little older, but he is a playmaker at safety. They didn't get a slouch back there. They got someone who can help.”

Clayton is one of the preeminent national personalities covering the NFL. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, Clayton was with ESPN from 1995-2017.

“It may accelerate things for say 2022,” Clayton said. “They're in decent shape salary cap-wise, and they have to figure out what to do with Sam Darnold because if they do pay him, he's going to take a good portion of that cap in the future.”

Clayton has referenced the salary cap fluctuation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes that this season’s potential financial losses from a lack of fans or potential cancellation of regular-season games could see a reduced cap in 2021, although he does not believe the latter will happen. The NFL already canceled all scheduled preseason games. The Jets have already announced that due to rulings in New Jersey, no fans will be attending Jets home games.

It is easy to understand why this was potentially going to be a tough season before the Jets, even before losing Adams, simply due to the tough schedule they have.

The Jets play both Super Bowl LIV teams and face off with the AFC West and NFC West, with three total games played on the west coast. Plus, the AFC East has gotten more competitive.

A tough schedule together with the loss of the All-Pro Adams could spell for a tough season.

Douglas has five years left on the six-year contract that he signed in June 2019. Given the long-term nature of his situation, he can take his time building the franchise. It might put Douglas and the entire organization on a rebuilding path that could well be successful but might now take a bit longer than fans would like.