It’s been quite the offseason for Joe Douglas.
He had his first free agency period, his first draft and… his first superstar contract dispute! After months of reports about the future of Jamal Adams, including plenty of fiery comments – both public and private – Douglas finally shipped the safety to Seattle for a bounty.
Douglas addressed the media Monday just two days after the trade. Douglas addressed why and how the Adams deal went down, how he felt about Adams’ public criticisms of both himself and Adam Gase and what he thinks about the future of the team.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Douglas’ conference call.
Douglas never promised Adams a new deal
Joe Douglas emphatically denied Adams’ assertion that the Jets weren’t honest about their contract negotiations with him this offseason.
“I never promised an offer to Jamal or his agent,” Douglas said. “I was never dishonest or ambiguous.”
Much of Adam’s frustrations with the Jets this offseason revolved around the team’s unwillingness to give him a contract extension offer. Adams said he talked with the Jets during the NFL combine about an extension, but those negotiations never progressed to the point of the Jets actually offering Adams a new deal. That angered Adams and led to multiple social media rants in which he bashed the team. His frustrations culminated in an explosive interview with the New York Daily News, in which Adams implied Douglas wasn’t honest about his intentions to pay Adams this offseason.
Douglas added that the Jets “weren’t in a position to do anything immediately” with Adams because of the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap.
“I think the communication from my standpoint was pretty clear,” Douglas said.
Adams’ public criticisms didn’t play a role
It’s a bit curious that the Jets traded Adams two days after he publically bashed both Douglas and Adam Gase, but the Jets general manager said the Daily News interview didn’t affect the trade.
“Look, this is a business,” Douglas said. “Obviously there was a reason why those things were said… I can promise you that didn’t affect anything that happened with our decision-making.”
Douglas even said that the Jets still had every intention of keeping Adams even after the comments about him and Gase. The Seahawks simply overwhelmed Douglas with their offer,
“It really was our plan to keep Jamal here,” he added. “We were prepared for Jamal to come in and have a discussion with him and try to work out a resolution.”
That talk likely centered around Adams’ dismissal of Gase as a good coach. Adams said he felt Gase wasn’t the “right leader for this organization to reach the Promised Land” and it bothered Adams that Gase “doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building.”
Douglas defended Gase wholeheartedly and rejected Adams’ thoughts toward his now-former coach.
“I believe [Gase is] the right coach to lead this team. I feel really good about where we are with him and his leadership,” Douglas said. “Everything I’ve seen, I’ve witnessed, in my year here with Adam, I’ve been impressed by.
“He never lost patience after a 1-7 start, never wavered from his beliefs. He did have tough conversations with players and great communication with the team in meetings.”
The trade came down to Seattle’s aggressiveness, according to Douglas. A lot of teams inquired about Adams, Douglas said, but the Seahawks offered the best possible deal.
“When our conversation started with Seattle several weeks ago the focus became clear that this is a great opportunity for us,” Douglas said. “We received an offer that was too difficult to pass up”
In defense of Woody Johnson
Douglas said he spoke to Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson after the CNN and The New York Times reports that alleged Johnson’s brother, Jets owner Woody Johnson, made racist and sexist comments and used his position as ambassador to the United Kingdom to prop up President Donald Trump’s business.
Woody denied the report publically, while Douglas said Christopher denied it to the GM as well. Douglas said he took Christopher’s word “100 percent.”
Douglas added that “every Jet deserves to be judged by the content of his character.”
On the Jets’ 2020 potential
Douglas didn’t like the assumption that the Jets were “punting” on 2020 after trading their best defensive player. Yes, Adams leaves a rather large void in the secondary, but the return Douglas got back from that trade should set the team up fine in the short-term and nicely in the long-term.
Douglas cited the team’s 6-2 finish over the back-half of the 2019 season as an indication of the team’s potential for this upcoming season.
“When these guys practice and you guys get around this team, I think you guys are gonna see the 6-2 finish wasn’t a fluke. I think you’re gonna see a team that has a fire and a lot of motivation,” he said. “I think we have a good returning core.”
He added that he’s very excited to add safety Bradley McDougald to the secondary.
“My message to the team and fanbase is we’re trying to build this the right way,” Douglas said. “I think this deal does that. We’re trying to build a foundation.”
