On a dud of a trade-deadline day, the most interesting deal was the one that wasn't made.
The 1-6 New York Jets were rumored to be engaged in trade discussions regarding multiple big-name players, including Robby Anderson, Le'Veon Bell and Jamal Adams, leading up to the 4 p.m. ET deadline. Ultimately, no players were dealt.
But that didn't stop one player in particular from expressing his frustration over his being included in trade talks on Tuesday.
Immediately following Jets general manager Joe Douglas' post-deadline presser, during which he said explicitly that New York was not "shopping" Adams or any of the players rumored to be on the outs, the Pro Bowl safety tweeted that Douglas "went behind my back" to shop him to teams, including the Dallas Cowboys.
Douglas, who was making an appearance on ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show" around the time of Adams' tweet, responded to his safety's comments, dismissing again the notion that New York actively shopped the safety.
"I think in this case it's a simple miscommunication. I think someone told him that I was shopping him around and that's not true. I was not shopping Jamal around," Douglas said. "So I think it's just a matter of talking with Jamal. I talked to a number of other players today that had been leaked out publicly that were being discussed in trade talks. I was able to talk to them individually, just let them know exactly what I told you guys. That there was talks.
"I did listen to what teams had to say. At the end of the day, we're not in the position, we're 1-6, we're not where we want to be. We're not in a position where we're looking to have a fire sale on players."
Asked about Adams' accusatory tweets, Douglas said, "I don't take it personally. And like I said before, I think it was a simple miscommunication. I think someone told him the wrong thing. ... Again, it was the wrong thing. And we did not call anyone. We were not shopping Jamal. I can promise you guys that. I don't take it personally. I think it's just a simple fact of reaching out and communicating with Jamal."
Douglas and the Jets were reportedly contacted by the Cowboys on Tuesday in regards to a trade for Adams. New York was willing to part with the safety for a first-rounder and two second-round picks, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater reported. But the Cowboys weren't willing to give up more than a first-rounder and a Day 3 draft pick, Slater added.
No deal.
"For me, again I'll just say that from where I'm from, the organizations where I've grown up in, you listen to every call that comes in on every player unless it's a franchise quarterback," Douglas told Kay. "We were in a situation where we listened to those calls. Again there wasn't any crazy demands made. It wasn't like, 'Hey, we're expecting to get this or nothing.' It was: 'What is your best offer on Player A?' And it was multiple payers, not just Jamal. And we felt that all offers that were made weren't offers that reached or exceed the value that we had with the player."
In his third season in New York, Adams is a Jets defensive captain and arguably the heartbeat of the team. The safety has one year left on his rookie deal, but New York can and should pick up his fifth-year option, keeping him under team control through 2021. Adams, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, has started all seven games this year and logged one pick-six and five passes defensed.
If Tuesday's tumult proved anything, it's that New York values Adams and won't give him away -- or go behind his back -- for anything less than top dollar.
"He's a mission statement guy," Douglas said of Adams on Tuesday. "He's a guy that when you talk about the traits you're looking for, that's Jamal."
