Jamal Adams never saw the trade rumors coming on Tuesday.
And a day after the Jets reportedly entertained trading away the standout safety, Adams made it clear that fences have yet to be mended between him and general manager Joe Douglas and he thinks of himself in a much higher regard, apparently, than his franchise does.
"I didn't take that lightly," Adams told the media on Tuesday. "It definitely hurt me. You know what I mean? I hold myself at a high level. You know, the Rams don't, they don't take calls on Aaron Donald. The Patriots don't take calls on Tom Brady. That's where I hold myself, in that regard."
As the NFL's trade deadline loomed on a frenzied Tuesday, Adams -- who the Jets took at No. 6 overall in the 2017 draft -- suddenly and shockingly popped up as a name that could be dealt from the Jets, along with the long-rumored Robby Anderson and another stunner in Le'Veon Bell. The Cowboys were reportedly the closest to closing out a deal for Adams to return to his home state.
In the immediate aftermath, Douglas said the Jets were not shopping Adams.
Adams responded that he had previously met with Douglas, was assured he wouldn't be shopped and then found out through his agent that there was truth behind the rumblings. Douglas then said on the radio that Adams' belief he was being actively shopped was "a simple miscommunication."
On Wednesday, Adams still had yet to speak with Douglas.
"I have not. I haven't. I'm not ready to talk," Adams said. "That's just where I'm at with it. Just not ready to talk. When you go through something, sometimes it's best to just kinda let it cool down and then when you're ready to talk and have a conversation, we definitely can and I believe we definitely will."
Adams offered no prognostication of when he and Douglas will have that conversation. He also has no other predictions about his future after this season.
He did offer reassurance to the Gang Green faithful that he was happy to be playing for them and was focused on the season still at hand no matter how unpredictable the upcoming offseason is.
"You know I'm happy to be here, man," Adams said. "I'm happy to be here. My focus is here right now. I don't know what the future's gonna hold. I really don't. Obviously I had a different mindset as far as how I felt about it in the near future. But I don't know. I really don't know. But like I can tell you right now, I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to play for the Jets. I'm excited to finish the season off the right way. I'm excited to play in front of the best fans in the NFL. That's all I'm focused on. I'm focused on right now."
Right now, the Jets are 1-6 and preparing for the winless Dolphins on the road. The Jetstraded defensive lineman Leonard Williams on Monday to the Giants, but nobody was shipped out on Tuesday. Instead, Adams remains, his feelings clearly having taken a hit and his long-term future with the franchise uncertain.
"When you feel like you're on the same page, when you have a meeting and you're told something different; it sucks," the strong safety said. "It's definitely tough. It's something I didn't take light. At the end of the day, I understand he has a job to do. And that's where I'm at with it."
