Jamal Adams is on track to return to the field for the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, with a chance to help his team reclaim the top spot in the NFC West. It's a far cry from his days in New York, where the All-Pro safety says the Jets were not only bad on the field but disrespectful off it -- so much so that the former first-round draft pick battled depression during his three seasons with the club.
The 25-year-old Adams, who successfully orchestrated a trade out of New York prior to this season, joined Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson on this week's "All Things Covered" podcast, where he opened up on his headlining fallout with the Jets.
Adams explained that many issues dispirited the former LSU star in New York: The front office allegedly approached him about a contract extension before repeatedly delaying negotiations, later spread rumors that he was a bad teammate, and told his agent following July's trade to Seattle that the Jets wouldn't have paid the safety until 2022 at the earliest.
But nothing hurt Adams more than this: "They do not want to win," he said.
"Bro, I fought depression in New York," he continued. "And I'm man enough to say it. I came home after a tough loss and just sat in my room in the dark -- no phone, no TV. (My dad) hated to see me like that. It killed my pops so much ... He was calling my agent at the time and saying, 'Hey man, I don't like seeing my son like this. I need him out of this situation.' It took a toll on my life outside of football."
Adams made it clear at the start of his chat with McFadden and Peterson that he "wanted to stick it out." It was his plan, up until the end, to "actually become a Jet for life." It turned out, however, he just couldn't put up with the team's ineptitude.
"Money's a plus, but I love the game of football," Adams said. "I love what I do ... I was sick of hearing 'the rebuild year.'"
Money, of course, also played a part, though.
"I was bringing the juice back to the Jets," Adams said. "I simply told them, 'Hey man, if you guys want to keep me here to be a Jet for life, let's sit down and talk. This is after the fact they told me, 'We wanna offer you an extension.' ... I felt like I was being disrespected."
Now? He's at peace with the Seahawks, and he said he knew that would be the case as soon as he arrived in Seattle.
"Let's be honest, the Jets were the laughingstock," he said. "(In Seattle), this is how the NFL is supposed to be. This is the dream I was dreamin'."
