Gase downplays rumors he disapproved of Bell deal, clashed with former GM
New York Jets head coach and interim general manager Adam Gase spoke to the media Thursday and addressed a number of rumors involving himself and the team.
After the Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan last week, it was reported that Maccagnan and Gase clashed over the decision to sign free-agent running back Le'Veon Bell to a four-year, $52.5-million deal. Gase downplayed those reports.
"We signed him. I'm excited we have him. I've been in constant communication with him," he said Thursday. "Discussions happen and, to me, when you're going through free agency - we signed a lot of guys - you're trying to put together a big puzzle and you're trying to figure out money, fit, locker room, there's just a lot of things that go into all that stuff.
"Discussions are had and whether or not we disagreed on anything whether it was financially, that's a completely different story than the person or the player.
"And that's where a lot of this gets misconstrued. Le'Veon Bell is a great player, he's a good person, he's been in constant contact with me. I enjoyed my interaction with him when he was here ... he's been great with me as far as contact goes."
With regards to the terms of Bell's deal, Gase said the contract "was what it was," adding he's excited to input the player into his offense while calling trade rumors about the running back "ridiculous."
As for his relationship with Maccagnan, Gase said they were usually on the same page and doubled down on his earlier denial that the former's firing was related to a power struggle between them.
"Me and Mike had disagreements on a few things, but there was no personal rift," he said. "We can have disagreements, it's part of the job. If you're not disagreeing, am I doing my job?"
He said Maccagnan's firing was CEO Christopher Johnson's decision and that Johnson will also make the call on the next general manager.
In the meantime, Gase has already consummated a trade, sending linebacker Darron Lee to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick. He explained that the Jets were in discussions with the Chiefs before he joined the team in January and that he simply "pulled the trigger."