Jets GM 'never promised' offer to Adams, praises Gase's leadership

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas made arguably the boldest move of his short tenure when he traded safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks for a package that included two first-round picks.

Adams' departure to Seattle came after months of tension between the star player and Jets' brass.

Adams accused the club of failing to offer a contract extension after promising in January to do so. However, Douglas said Monday he made no such commitment to the former first-round pick.

"I never promised an offer to Jamal and his agent," said Douglas, per Dan Leberfeld of Jets Confidential.

Douglas also pushed back on the suggestion that mixed messages from the team led Adams to want to leave New York.

"I feel like our communication was very clear from the very beginning," said Douglas.

The final straw for the Jets was seemingly Adams' decision to publicly criticize head coach Adam Gase last week.

"I especially believe in coach Gase," said Douglas, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. "I think he's the right person to lead this team."

The Jets were able to get a potentially franchise-altering haul for the Pro Bowler. In addition to the two first-round picks, New York received a third-round pick in 2021 and veteran safety Bradley McDougald.

New York will likely struggle in the short term without arguably its best player, but Douglas believes this decision could lead to long-term success.

"My message to the team and fan base is we're trying to build this the right way," said Douglas. "I think this deal does that. We're trying to build a foundation."