Jamal Adams finally received his wish over the summer when he was traded to the Seahawks, moving from the Big Apple to the Pacific Northwest.
His new team meets the team he so desperately wanted to leave on Sunday. Adams spoke Friday on the state of the Jets, the league's lone winless team in its first season following its blockbuster deal that sent Adams to Seattle in exchange for two first-round picks, a third-round pick and former Seahawk Bradley McDougald.
He was honest, much like he was when mentioning he was fighting through a low mental point of his life when playing for New York, starting with his former head coach.
"We had a solid relationship. I don't hate Adam Gase, I have no problem with Adam Gase, I just didn't feel he handled certain situations well as a head coach," Adams said. "And that's just my opinion, everybody is entitled to their opinion, right? ... I have no hate toward Adam. Obviously, things are not going in a positive way over there in New York with the record but, at the end of the day, man, I'm going out there to win a ball game.
"If Adam comes up to me and shakes my hand, I'ma shake his hand, there's no love lost. Listen, I'm at peace, man, and I'm a different guy, I'm really a different guy. I'm still gonna talk my noise but I'm at peace with it, man."
Gase is firmly planted on the hot seat with the Jets after starting 0-12, and Sunday doesn't appear to be a great chance for his team to end its losing streak. Adams was his best player last season, and New York managed to finish 7-9 despite losing Sam Darnold for an early stretch of the season.
Without Adams, the Jets have been significantly worse beyond their difference in record, with many more reasons than a loss at safety to blame. Adams' former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, lost his job this week after making a hyperaggressive decision at the end of their Week 13 game against Las Vegas and losing the contest as a result.
Williams was fortunate to have Adams available to cause problems for opposing offenses. Adams intends to do the same as a Seahawk, this time pursuing his former teammate.
"I finally get to get after Sam a little bit. One of my guys," Adams said. "I have a lot of respect for Sam. Just to face him and he doesn't have a red jersey on 'cause I'm kinda used to that. So, it's going to be fun, man. I'm excited to get out there."
Seattle (8-4) is excited for the opportunity to record a win following an upset loss to the other team from New York, the Giants, last week. The safety figures to play an important role in the game. We'll have to let the action play out and check in with Adams at the end to see if he has any parting shot for his former team.
As of Friday, he was cruising down the high road.
