Under the circumstances, the New York Jets made a terrific trade.
Not only did they unload a me-first player whose poisonous attitude threatened locker room chemistry, but they parlayed Jamal Adams into one of the richest NFL hauls in recent years — a package from the Seattle Seahawks that includes first-round picks in 2021 and 2022.
For a safety.
For a safety who doesn’t intercept the football.
For a safety who wants to be paid like a pass-rusher.
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Somehow, Jets general manager Joe Douglas managed to extract a quarterback-type return from the Seahawks, also acquiring a third-round pick (2021) and a middle-of-the-road safety, Bradley McDougald. The Jets never wanted to trade Adams, their best player, but sources said they would consider it if they were blown away by an offer.
This qualifies as blown away. That the Jets got this much is surprising, considering Adams jeopardized the Jets’ leverage with his incessant public whining.
Consider: This marked only the eighth time since 2000 that a player was traded for two first-round picks, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. It has happened three times in recent years, with cornerback Jalen Ramsey (2019), tackle Laremy Tunsil (2019) and defensive end Khalil Mack (2018).
Notice a trend? All three play premium positions.
Adams is a strong safety — a very good one, but not worth north of $17 million per year, which is what he wants on a contract extension. The Jets wanted to wait until 2021 to extend his contract; Adams wanted one now. When he realized it wasn’t going to happen, he behaved like a spoiled teenager, taking to social media to rip the Jets organization.
Wonderful talent, bad leader.
Privately, the Jets fumed, especially when Adams ripped team owner Woody Johnson on Twitter for allegedly making racist and sexist remarks recently in his role as a United States ambassador. Then Adams went after coach Adam Gase, an easy target, questioning his leadership in an interview with the New York Daily News. Isn’t is funny that Adams seemed OK with Gase in late January, when he tweeted how much he wanted to remain in New York? The tantrums started when Adams realized that contract extension wasn’t coming.
Washington’s NFL franchise announced on Thursday that, effective immediately, it will call itself the “Washington Football Team” pending the adoption of a new name, league sources told ESPN. There was plenty of reaction on social media.
The temporary name change comes after completing a thorough review that began on July 3.
Several players weighed in on the name via Twitter, including Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins, former NFL receiver Dez Bryant and Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan.
The Wilf family that owns the Minnesota Vikings has emerged as a serious candidate to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves, NFL sources told ESPN.
Only recently did the Wilfs emerge as one of the groups bidding to buy the NBA team in their city from billionaire Glen Taylor, sources said. There are several bidders for the team, including metropolitan New York real estate developer Meyer Orbach, who bought a minority stake in the Timberwolves in 2016. Former Timberwolves standout Kevin Garnett also said he is forming a group to try to purchase the team.
But the Wilfs appear to be in a prime spot at this time to buy the Timberwolves, though a decision on the sale might not be made until September, sources said.
The NFL’s Washington football team has hired Julie Donaldson to oversee all of its broadcasts as senior vice president of media, becoming the team’s highest-ranking female executive, it was announced Tuesday.
Donaldson will be part of Washington’s radio team, but she won’t be doing play-by-play. Former play-by-play announcer Larry Michael retired last week amid allegations of sexual harassment, as detailed by the Washington Post.
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Donaldson isn’t directly replacing Michael, who held numerous roles in the organization, but she will be responsible for overseeing the broadcast operation. Her first task will be to hire a play-by-play announcer, and she will have power and input on content for the team’s various broadcast platforms.
“It is with great humility and sincere appreciation that I accept this new role,” Donaldson said in a statement. “This is a challenge I’ve been preparing and working towards for nearly 20 years in sports media, including the last decade in Washington. I am excited to join the organization as we begin a new era and I look forward to working with my new colleagues in making it stronger than ever.”
Donaldson will become the first woman to be a regular on-air member of an NFL team’s radio broadcast booth.
“Julie Donaldson is a trailblazing journalist who has worked on multiple award-winning shows and has a passion for sports in the DMV,” team owner Dan Snyder said in a statement. “She has contributed countless hours of her time to work alongside Tanya [Snyder] and WOW (Women of Washington) to help raise awareness for breast cancer. She has been a staple in the community and I can’t think of anyone better to lead our organization’s in-house media and content into this new digital age.”
Donaldson spent 10 years at NBC Sports Washington and was part of the pregame and postgame shows for the NFL team. She served a variety of roles with the station, including anchor, reporter and host.