Jamal Adams will be competing against a familiar face Monday night when the Browns roll into MetLife Stadium. Star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was traded to Cleveland in March, first met Adams when he hosted the then-teenage safety for a college visit at LSU.
"Everybody knows he's one of the best — if not the best — receivers in the game, and I have tons of respect for him," Adams said of Beckham Jr. "Obviously he came from the best university. It is kind of set in stone, we are built a different way. I'm excited to play him for the first time, and I'm looking forward to it and I know he is as well."
The 6'1", 213-pound safety entered LSU in 2014—the same year the veteran wide receiver was drafted—and played three seasons for the Tigers. But their paths crossed once again when they represented the same city after Adams was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2017 Draft and Beckham Jr. was, at the time, with the New York Giants.
"He's a phenomenal player, I saw that since the day he walked into LSU," Beckham Jr. told the media of Adams. "His charisma, the way he carries himself on the field, he plays with a lot of energy, and he's elite. It's exciting to be able to go up against him. I literally watched him from LSU to where he's at now, and it's pretty impressive what he's done."
Friendliness aside, the 5'11", 198-pound wide receiver knows that come game time, Adams is going to be all business.
"I'm excited, but I'm sure when the whistle snaps, he's not going to be as friendly," Beckham Jr. said. "But that's my little brother."
After losing their regular-season opener 17-16 to the Buffalo Bills last week at home, the Jets are looking to bounce back in prime time against the Browns. To Adams, that means the friendship stops when the whistle starts.
"That's one of my good friends and obviously a brother, LSU family," Adams said. "We're excited to compete out there, but it's no friends on the field and he knows that. Off the field we'll be good, but on the field, it's go time."
