“Everybody Is Not Gonna Be Ed Reed”: Shannon Sharpe Reacts as Jamal Adams Regrets Asking for a Trade From the Jets

Jamal Adams, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, took the league by storm as a rookie. He morphed into a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro during his second year, and earned another Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro status in his third campaign. Since then, the safety’s play has drastically fallen. Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson analyzed how Adams dominated in his heyday, pointing out that it was quite different from what’s historically expected from safeties, thanks to the bar set by greats like Ed Reed.

“He could attack the quarterback, [was] great [against] the run… a little stiff in the hips; wasn’t great in pass coverage. But that’s okay. Everybody is not gonna be Ed Reed. Everybody ain’t gonna be Troy Polamalu… that’s okay,” said Shannon on Nightcap.

Once they finished detailing Adams’ strengths, Sharpe and Johnson shifted their conversation to his “emotional decision”. The two were talking about how the safety orchestrated a trade away from the New York Jets to the Seattle Seahawks, picked up some injuries, and has never been the same player since.

Adams recently reflected on his move away from the Big Apple with reporter Tyler Dunne. He wished he hadn’t gone down that path.

“I asked for the trade out. And if I look back on it now, I would tell myself, ‘Don’t make an emotional decision’,” Adams told Dunne.

To Sharpe and Johnson, Adams’ professional trajectory began to turn for the worse after he left New York.

Sharpe: “When emotion is high, logic is low”

Had Adams maintained his success once he changed coasts, he probably wouldn’t have been disappointed in leaving the Jets. Unfortunately, following his Seahawks’ debut season, he suited up in just 22 of a potential 51 regular season games.

“You left… and your career wasn’t the same as you thought it [would be]. I don’t believe if he’d had the career he was having with the Jets once he went to Seattle, I don’t believe he has this regret,” said Sharpe.

However, Shannon recognizes why Adams asked for a trade. He understands the proper approach to things isn’t always the one people take, especially in moments of tension. This led him to drop a thought that Johnson labeled “a bar”.

“When emotion is high, logic is low… I’ve analyzed everything that I’ve done and replayed [scenarios]. What I did, what could I have done differently? What should I have done differently? I’m learning, ‘Shannon, take the emotion out of it’,” said Sharpe.

Shannon’s new-found focus is one many folks could use in their everyday lives. It may not be wise to abandon the emotion altogether. The key is to harness it — as opposed to letting it control you. Hopefully, Sharpe and Adams both can do so to avoid regrettable decisions moving forward.