NEW YORK — While Mayor Adams publicly offered nothing but support for his embattled adviser Tim Pearson, behind the scenes he was urging him to resign through surrogates, including former chief of staff Frank Carone, two sources familiar with the sequence said Tuesday.

Pearson, a senior mayoral adviser who oversaw migrant contracts and is now under federal scrutiny, put off the requests until Monday night, when he sent a one-page letter to the mayor saying he’s resigning to focus on “family, self care and new endeavors.”

Carone, a longtime confidant of the mayor who’s playing a leading role in his reelection campaign, approached Pearson multiple times over the past few days to pass along the request from the mayor, the sources told the Daily News. But Pearson said he had to consult with his lawyers and others before making a decision.

“He was being slippery,” one of the sources said.

Pearson’s lawyer Hugh Mo did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

On Sept. 4, Pearson was one of five top Adams officials targeted in raids by FBI agents as part of wide-ranging corruption investigations into influence peddling, kickbacks on city contracts and other matters.

Pearson, described by Adams in December as one of his “knights of the round table,” wrote in his resignation letter to the mayor that his final day at work is this Friday.

Asked for comment on the back story behind Pearson’s sudden departure, Fabien Levy, the mayor’s spokesman, said, “I don’t comment on private conversations.”

The resignation came two weeks after the mayor’s chief counsel Lisa Zornberg quit Sept. 15, late on a Saturday night, in part because the mayor would not heed her advice to fire Pearson, as first reported by The News. In her resignation note, Zornberg wrote she has concluded she “could no longer effectively serve” in the position.

On Tuesday, the mayor insisted Pearson departed on his own terms. “Tim made the decision that he wanted to focus on another aspect of his life,” Adams told reporters at City Hall.

Neither the mayor nor the city Law Department would say whether Pearson’s legal fees would continue to be paid by the city.

“Every determination of representation by the Law Department is subject to review as new facts and circumstances are discovered,” Law Department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci said. “We will continue to evaluate Tim Pearson’s legal representation as we would in any case involving current or former employees.”

The city is paying for an outside firm to represent Pearson in four lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation filed by three now-retired cops and an active duty NYPD chief. The chief, Militiadis Marmara, claimed Pearson essentially weaponized the NYPD to go after the officers who complained about his conduct.

It’s not clear whether the city is also paying for Mo’s representation but that would be unlikely.

Three of the five top officials visited by the FBI on Sept. 4 have either stepped down or will step down, including Pearson, Schools Chancellor David Banks, who said he is retiring, and Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned.

Deputy Mayor Philip Banks remains in place, as does First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, though Adams last week signed an executive order allowing another official to assume Wright’s responsibilities if necessary.

Pearson’s role overseeing migrant contracts came under scrutiny after the officers suing him claimed he once said, “People are doing very well on these contracts. I have to get mine. Where are my crumbs?”

On Friday, federal authorities served a subpoena on Molly Schaefer, the mayor’s asylum seeker coordinator, for records, including communications with Pearson, sources said.

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