Ex-Jet Jamal Adams has no regrets and is thrilled to be in Seattle

Jamal Adams has no regrets.

And why should he? Five months after forcing his way out of the Jets organization, the Seattle defensive back is having an All-Pro caliber season for an elite team. Meanwhile, the organization he left hasn’t won a game without him and enters this Sunday’s contest in Seattle in complete turmoil, having just fired their defensive coordinator on Monday after a loss that made their record 0-12.

"I had to do what I had to do to get out of my situation," Adams said on a Zoom call Friday. "I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be a Seattle Seahawk. I’m happy to be a part of an organization that values me and respects me for who I am on and off the field."

Adams apparently is saving his best shots for the football field. Still, the not-so-subtle message here is that the Jets were so dysfunctional that they couldn’t appreciate the talent they had.

With 7.5 sacks on the season, Adams is a sack away from having the most sacks in a season by a defensive back in NFL history (Adrian Wilson holds the record with eight). Adams has 5.5 sacks since Week 9, tied with T.J. Watt for the most in the NFL. He has 58 tackles in just eight games.

Adams, who lit into Jets coach Adam Gase when he was traded, showed some restraint Friday when asked about his former coach.

"I don't hate Adam Gase. I have no problem with Adam Gase. I just feel he didn't handle certain situations well as a head coach," Adams said. "That's just my opinion. Everybody is entitled to their opinion."

Adams said if Gase approached him on Sunday and stuck out his hand that he would shake it.

Of course, it’s not so difficult to be generous with someone who likely won’t have a job in a month. If this season has proved anything, it’s that Adams was smart to want to get as far away as he could from the Jets. Especially if they weren’t going to hand him a lucrative long-term contract.

The Jets traded Adams to Seattle for two first-round picks, a third round pick and safety Bradley McDougald. In some ways, it can be considered a win-win in that the Jets were going through a rebuild when Adams was in the prime years of his career.

Adams began his career as the sixth overall pick in 2017. Though he was a two-time Pro Bowler, the Jets did not seem interested in signing him to a long-term deal. Adams, who previously said he was suffering from depression last season, said things got so bad that he could barely come to work last year.

"I was fighting it for so long," he said. "I didn’t speak about it. A lot of the days I was in New York, I had to listen to music, just to go into the building, just to stay positive and just to stay driven."

Adams stopped short of saying he felt disrespected by the Jets.

"The guys that make the decision over there didn’t value me like Seattle does," Adams said. "I appreciate that. There’s no hard feelings toward them. They had different views. I had a different view. At the end of the day, I’m happy to be where I am. I have an organization that believes in me and thinks highly of me.

"At the end of the day, I’m just happy to be a Seattle Seahawk."

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.