We have read the reports in the recent past. A rift between New York Jets head coach Adam Gase and his players. It’s reportedly one of the primary reasons All-Pro safety Jamal Adams has requested a trade.
In absolutely stunning fashion, Adams opened up about that specific situation with Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. His review of Gase’s performance as head coach after one season are scathing.
Jamal Adams absolutely unloads on Adam Gase
“I don’t feel like he’s the right leader for this organization to reach the Promised Land,” Adams said. “As a leader, what really bothers me is that he doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building.”
That’s really not something you want to hear from one of the faces of your team. It tells us a story of a rift that has grown out of control in the 18 months or so that Gase has been the Jets’ head coach.
Adams did not come close to stopping there.
“At the end of the day, he doesn’t address the team,” Adams added. “If there’s a problem in the locker room, he lets another coach address the team. If we’re playing sh—y and we’re losing, he doesn’t address the entire team as a group at halftime. He’ll walk out of the locker room and let another coach handle it.”
This runs contrary to Gase’s recent public stance that his relationship with Adams has been just fine since the head coach was hired. It also makes a continued relationship between the two highly unlikely.
Jamal Adams indicates that Jets could trade him before Week 1
Within the same report from Mehta, Adams noted that Jets general manager Joe Douglas told him that he could be traded ahead of the start of the 2020 NFL season. Of course, that’s all dependent on the offers New York receives.
In requesting a trade earlier in the offseason, Adams listed a number of teams he’d prefer to be moved to. Among those, the Dallas Cowboys have been bandied about the most. Though, nothing seems to be happening on that end.
It was reported recently that New York had turned down a Pro Bowl player in return for a 24-year-old All-Pro safety in Adams who is already seen as one of the best players at his position in the NFL.
I am highly intrigued to see what happens on this front over the next several weeks. Adams is a game changer. He could alter the trajectory of the season depending on where the former No. 6 overall pick lands.