Jets 26-Year-Old Predicted to Get Benched Ahead of Season Opener

Tony Adams has been a starter in the New York Jets’ secondary for the last two seasons.

Will Parkinson of “Badlands” expects that streak to come to a screeching halt ahead of 2025.

“I think Malachi Moore is going to end up winning that job,” Parkinson said on the “Badlands” podcast. “I just think Malachi Moore again had a really nice offseason, was a really good player in college, tackles well, really instinctual, really smart player, [and] a really heady guy. The hyper competitiveness and the brains from a Malachi Moore from a football perspective, I think, is kind of what wins him the job. Taking better angles potentially, being able to communicate really well, make some plays on the football obviously, and again, I think he is a guy who wins that job. It’s [Andre] Cisco and Moore starting Week 1 against Pittsburgh.”

Adams Losing the Job Ahead of the Season Is Totally Realistic

What a roller coaster ride for the former undrafted free agent.

Adams, 26, didn’t hear his name called during the 2022 NFL draft. He signed with the Jets as a UDFA and impressed the coaching staff in a very short period.

As a rookie, Adams was a member of the 53-man roster but didn’t see much game action. He only appeared in 18% of the defensive snaps in 2022. However, between the end of 2022 and 2023, Adams transformed from a random player on the roster to an unquestioned starter on the team.

Adams enjoyed a surge in playing time in 2023, suiting up for 88% of the defensive snaps. He rewarded the Jets’ investment with a career season, registering three interceptions, five pass deflections, six tackles for loss, and he finished with 82 total tackles.

In 2024, things started falling apart. Adams was still a key cog, appearing in 15 games and making 11 starts, but it wasn’t the same. Adams somehow ground the gears of Jets’ owner Woody Johnson, who ordered the coaching staff to bench him, per The Athletic. The coaching staff acquiesced to the demand.

The old coaching staff that benched him is gone, but the owner remains, and he isn’t going anywhere. Once you bench a starter the first time, every time you want to bench him again, it becomes even easier.

Adams returned to the team this offseason on a one-year $3.2 million restricted free agent tender.

Moore Taking Over for Adams Feels Inevitable

Parkinson has predicted that it’ll happen during training camp. Perhaps it does. Regardless of when, it seems inevitable that it will take place eventually.

Adams’ origin story with the Jets is as a UDFA with a previous regime. Moore was selected by this current regime in April’s draft. More than that, the Jets aggressively moved up the board to secure him with the No. 130 overall pick in the fourth round.

The #Jets ‘coveted’ & ‘targeted’ Alabama DB Malachi Moore heading into Day 3.

HC Aaron Glenn said he got some extra intel from #Lions DB Brian Branch who was a former teammate with the Crimson Tide.

🎥 @nyjets #JetUp #NFLDraft

LINK: https://t.co/WTVP9ENvaq pic.twitter.com/tJ8DdQ407z

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) April 26, 2025

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Moore, 23, appeared in 64 games across his five years at Alabama. He was a team captain and a reliable chess piece on the defensive side of the ball.

Moore is a smaller player listed at 5-foot-11 and tipping the scales at 196 pounds. Earlier this offseason, he signed a four-year $5 million rookie contract.