Jets GM Joe Douglas 'Especially' Believes in Adam Gase Despite Adams Criticism

Former New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, ripped Jets head coach Adam Gase prior to the trade, but general manager Joe Douglas believes Gase is the right person for the job. 

"I especially believe in Coach Gase," Douglas said, even though the Jets went 7-9 in the coach's first season at the helm, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. "I believe he's the right coach to lead this team. I feel really good about where we are with him and his leadership."

Douglas' comments come after Adams said he did not think Gase is someone who could direct the Jets to a Super Bowl title, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

"I don't feel like he's the right leader for this organization to reach the Promised Land. As a leader, what really bothers me is that he doesn't have a relationship with everybody in the building.

"At the end of the day, he doesn't address the team. If there's a problem in the locker room, he lets another coach address the team. If we're playing s--tty and we're losing, he doesn't address the entire team as a group at halftime. He'll walk out of the locker room and let another coach handle it."

Gase benched Adams toward the end of the Jets' Week 2 loss to the Cleveland Browns, which prompted the safety to distance himself from the team on social media:

What followed was discontent and trade requests, and the Jets eventually moved him along with a 2022 fourth-round pick to Seattle for safety Bradley McDougald, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-rounder and a 2022 first-rounder.

That was a hefty price for Seattle to pay, but Adams is also 24 years old and coming off two straight Pro Bowl seasons and an All-Pro selection. He tallied 115 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery in 2018 before following up with 75 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and two defensive touchdowns in 2019.

As for Gase, he has struggled to find his form as a head coach since he led the Miami Dolphins to a 10-6 record in his first year at the helm in 2016. He was just 6-10 in his second season and 7-9 in his third year with the Dolphins before they fired him.

He will look to turn things around in his second season with the Jets without his team's former star safety.