Though the NFL Draft is two days away, Jets GM Joe Douglas continues to be peppered with Jamal Adams questions leading up to it. And that continued with Bart Scott and Alan Hahn on ESPN 98.7 Tuesday.
On Monday, Douglas addressed Adams and his reported desire to not want to participate in the team's voluntary offseason program with the Jets due to extension talks not going on at the moment. But his answers to Scott and Hahn's question on Tuesday showed even more praise from the new GM.
"He was a big reason I was excited about coming here," Douglas said, per Rich Cimini. "I feel this guy is a core player. ...The main goal that I'm trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog. We have to surround him with guys that play as hard as he does, that love football as much as he does and can match his intensity."
Douglas also told SNY's Jeane Coakley that his feelings of Adams being a "Jet for life" haven't changed.
Douglas still has not ruled out trading Adams, saying earlier this week that he's "also made it known I have to do what's in the best interests of this team."
Video: Douglas on Jamal Adams talks and Becton's failed test
Adams has said in the past that the Jets need some more "dogs" on the roster, and Douglas recognizes that he must get that done as ex-GM Mike Maccagnan didn't really do much on that front. Yes, C.J. Mosley was brought in and he was expected to be a force up the middle for Adams to work alongside before his groin injury in Week 1 last season. But other than that, the Jets are still looking for those types of players.
If Douglas is trying to find ones that match Adams' intensity, that's going to be a tough task. There aren't many in this league that play as hard as Adams every Sunday, but that alone makes players around him give 110 percent like he does on game day.
For Adams, comments like these from Douglas should come as a sign that his GM truly wants to keep him around. Douglas did say, though, that there isn't "a set timetable" on getting an extension done.
SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported earlier this month that Adams probably wouldn't be extended this offseason because the team has control over him through the 2023 season due to his fifth-year option and potential franchise tags.