In Week 11 New York Jets starting safety Tony Adams was benched for the Indianapolis Colts game. Ahead of Week 13, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich revealed that Adams will get a chance to totally redeem himself against the Seattle Seahawks.
“Yeah Tony is a guy, from a culture standpoint, we absolutely love. He didn’t play as much as I would have liked last week for whatever the reason. This week he is going to play a little bit more. So he is going to get reintegrated into our defense,” Ulbrich told the media on Friday, November 29.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Adams played zero defensive snaps against the Colts in Week 11. Before that contest, Adams had started in eight games this season and in 15 games the year prior.
Cimini expects Adams to be in the safety rotation against the Seahawks with Chuck Clark and Jalen Mills.
Seems Like the Jets Ownership Benching Demands Were True…
According to a report from The Athletic, owner Woody Johnson wanted Adams benched as the starting safety.
Ulbrich was asked about Johnson reportedly ordering the Adams benching and whether or not it was true.
“I’m preaching to the players about the singular focus of going forward and pouring everything into this Seahawks team. The preparation and owning this process, guys, I gotta live that too. I can’t be sitting here and talking about things that may or may not have happened. Mr. Johnson and myself, we have great dialogue and consistent dialogue. We talk all the time and we have very honest conversations. I’d like to keep those conversations between the two of us,” Ulbrich said on Monday, November 25.
Cimini responded to that quote on social media saying Ulbrich, “wouldn’t confirm or deny that Woody Johnson instructed him to bench S Tony Adams.”
Adams, 25, is scheduled to be a restricted free agent during the 2025 offseason.
Jets Random Midseason Addition Earns High Praise
While Adams is trying to work his way back into the lineup, someone that won’t be leaving it anytime soon is Mills.
“I know he has kind of been labeled as a journeyman because he has kind of hopped around but what a pro he is. He is just another guy in that room to demonstrate to all of our other guys what it is supposed to look like and he does it every day. He’s got experience and he is one of the better communicators I’ve ever been around. For a guy that has come in late to our defense and not necessarily have the same time on task that other guys have had, he has done an amazing job in that way. What a great pickup he was mid-season,” Ulbrich said.
Over the last year and a half, Mills has spent time with the New England Patriots, the New York Giants, and most recently the Jets.
Mills joined the green and white on September 24 on the practice squad. However, he didn’t become a part of the active roster until October 23. Mills ascended from street free agent to practice squad player to role player to full-time starter with the Jets.
Even with Adams returning to the rotation, Mills is expected to remain a large part of the Jets secondary moving forward.
