FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets safety Jamal Adams doubled down on his Twitter attack on general manager Joe Douglas, saying Wednesday he's still fuming that Douglas dangled him in trade talks.
Adams said he's so miffed that he declined Douglas' offer to discuss the matter, adding he needs time to cool off before meeting with the GM. He considers himself an untouchable and was "shocked" when he heard the Jets had engaged in talks with the Dallas Cowboys.
"When my agent called me and told me what was going on, it definitely hurt me," Adams said. "I hold myself as a high level. The Rams don't take calls on Aaron Donald, the Patriots don't take calls on Tom Brady, you know what I mean? That's where I hold myself in that regard."
Adams added, "I thought I was that guy for them. I didn't see them even having talks about it, after I told them I wanted to be here."
The Adams-Douglas situation blew up late Tuesday, after the trade deadline, when Adams tweeted that Douglas "went behind my back" and shopped him to teams only a few days after he told the GM that he wanted to remain in New York. Douglas acknowledged that he spoke to the Cowboys, but he insisted he didn't initiate the conversation and never "shopped" Adams, whom he praised effusively. Douglas called it a "simple miscommunication" with Adams.
The Pro Bowl safety didn't take it that way, and he vented in a 14-minute session with reporters. He said he was "on the verge of being traded to the Cowboys," who offered a first-round pick. The Jets reportedly also wanted a pair of second-round picks.
"For three years, I've done nothing but work my butt off, continue to improve, be a great leader for the team, be a great teammate," Adams said. "When you see certain things like that and you hear about it and you get calls, you're in shock a little bit, right.
"But at the end of the day, it's a business. I get it, I understand it. But that's how I look at myself. I hold myself in a high regard. Obviously, they didn't feel that way."
Adams, who is signed through 2020 and has a team option for 2021, said he doesn't know whether he has a long-term future with the Jets.
He expressed mixed messages. He said he's "excited" to be with the Jets, but he also said he would have welcomed a trade to the Cowboys, his hometown team. He admitted telling friend and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark that he wanted to be dealt to Dallas.
It will be interesting to see how coach Adam Gase handles Adams, who might have defied an edict by speaking publicly.
In the morning team meeting, Gase instructed the players to block out the outside noise and focus on the Miami Dolphins, this week's opponent. In his news conference, Gase refused to answer questions pertaining to Adams or any trade-deadline fallout. He said that would be "handled internally," later saying he expects Adams to be "focused on Miami."
A few hours later, Adams vented his frustration in the middle of the locker room, even saying that he refused Douglas' invitation to clear the air.
"I'm not ready to talk," he said. "That's where I'm at with it. When you go through something, sometimes it's best to let everything cool down."
Adams said he plans to speak with Douglas in the future.
"I'm not going to sit here and say it didn't hurt me. It did," he said of the trade talks. "But I'm excited to be here."