Former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, whose messy divorce from the New York Jets in 2020 led to one of the biggest trades in franchise history, wants to run it back in New York.
“I would love to be back with the Jets and, obviously, finish it the right way,” he said Wednesday night in a chat with Jets fans on the social media platform X. “Man, that would be a dream come true, just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it right.”
Adams, 29, appearing as a guest on “The Jets Lounge,” said he could be a valuable veteran asset to the team, which is undergoing a youth movement under first-year coach Aaron Glenn. Adams, who spent last season with the Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions after a four-year run with the Seattle Seahawks, is a free agent.
“[I would] just come in as a seasoned vet, give game to the young cats and help in any way, shape or form I can,” he said. “I know I can still play football. I’m healthy and I know I can impact the game in a lot of ways. I just need that fair opportunity to come in and show what I can do.”
Adams, drafted sixth overall in 2017, was one of the NFL’s rising young talents. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro in 2019, but he became disgruntled because of the losing and the direction of the franchise. He also wanted to be the highest-paid safety in the league.
The relationship between Adams and the front office, led at the time by former general manager Joe Douglas, fell apart when Adams went public with his dissatisfaction and requested a trade in June 2020. A month later, he was dealt to the Seahawks for a package that included 2021 and 2022 first-round picks.
The Jets parlayed those picks into guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, respectively. Adams made the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Seahawks and received a four-year, $70 million contract extension, but injuries limited him to only 22 games over the next three years and he was released.
Adams admitted he has some regrets about the way his handled his departure from the Jets, which turned the fan base against him.
“My biggest regret is me and Joe Douglas never speaking,” he said. “We never spoke on the phone one time. We never spoke in person one time before this trade happened. And that’s where I wish we could have that back, because I can’t speak for him but I didn’t go about it the right way at that time.”
Adams said he reached out to Douglas a year ago to apologize.
Glenn is familiar with Adams, who spent one month on the Lions’ roster at the end of last season. He started two games for the Lions, decimated by injuries, but was released before the end of the regular season. Glenn was the Lions’ defensive coordinator.
His youth movement continued Friday, as the Jets released kicker Greg Zuerlein, 37, who made only nine of 15 field goals last season. Zuerlein’s fourth-quarter misses loomed large in three losses, and he wound up on injured reserve with an ailing knee. They save $2.4 million in cap space by releasing Zuerlein, who signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract in 2024.
In the span of a few days, the Jets moved on from their two veteran specialists, Zuerlein and punter Thomas Morstead.
The Jets will have a kicking competition in training camp, pitting holdover Anders Carlson against rookie Caden Davis of Missouri. They filled Zuerlein’s roster spot by signing defensive end Michael Fletcher, an undrafted rookie.
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