NY Jets banking on overlooked free agent to fill this All-Pro's role

The NY Jets will have a decision to make on a number of internal free agents in the coming weeks, and one overlooked player who has flown under the radar is young safety Tony Adams.

Adams is one of two Jets players, along with linebacker and special-teams standout Chazz Surratt, expected to be restricted free agents this offseason. The Jets seem to have significant interest in bringing him back.

Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reported on Saturday that the expectation is the Jets will tender Adams' contract "with the hopes of keeping him on the roster." Per Pauline, Adams would also like to return to the Jets this offseason.

The report further states that the new Jets coaching staff is highly optimistic about the fourth-year safety, with head coach Aaron Glenn viewing Adams as an ideal fit for his system. More specifically, the Jets believe Adams can step into the same role that All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph played in Glenn's Detroit Lions defense.

NY Jets believe Tony Adams can fill All-Pro safety's role in Aaron Glenn's defense

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft, Adams was a surprise member of the Jets' 53-man roster coming out of training camp that year and has since become one of the team's most notable recent development stories.

Adams took over as a full-time starter in 2023 following a summer injury to Chuck Clark and looked the part of a starting-caliber NFL safety. His 68.0 Pro Football Focus grade that year ranked 41st among 95 qualified safeties.

Adams returned as a starter in 2024 and played at roughly the same level, but his Jets career took an unexpected turn when he was surprisingly benched by owner Woody Johnson in the middle of the season.

For whatever reason, Johnson took his frustrations with the Jets' disappointing season out on Adams, who became an unlikely and undeserved scapegoat. He'd eventually return to the starting lineup to finish the season and performed reasonably well down the stretch.

Adams finished the year with a respectable 66.4 PFF grade, which ranked 38th out of 98 qualified safeties. He was the highest-graded safety on the Jets' roster and particularly excelled in coverage, allowing just 21 catches all season.

Since Adams is a restricted free agent (players with three or fewer years of accrued NFL seasons), the Jets have control over his future but must decide how much they’re willing to invest in the young safety.

They can place a first-round tender ($7.458 million), a second-round tender ($5.346 million), or a right-of-first-refusal tender ($3.263 million), which offers no compensation if he signs elsewhere since he was undrafted.

The Jets could opt for the second-round tender to keep him at a relatively reasonable price while discouraging other teams from making an offer, though a long-term extension could also be on the table.

Either way, the Jets seem determined to keep Adams and potentially make him a part of their long-term defensive plans. A comparison to Joseph, who led the NFL with nine interceptions in 2024, is high praise.

Let's just hope Woody Johnson doesn't have any say in the matter this time.

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