Getty Some around the NFL believe the Seahawks gave up too much in the trade for Jamal Adams.
There is little disagreement that Jamal Adams is one of the premier safeties in the league, but some are criticizing what the Seahawks gave up in the trade with the Jets. NBC Sports’ Peter King reported that the general feeling around the NFL is that the Seahawks gave up too much for Adams. King cited a conversation he had with an anonymous general manager who believes the Jets won the trade.
“I wouldn’t trade two ones for a safety,” the NFL GM explained. “Particularly when you’ve got to pay the safety a lot of money. I like what the Jets did.”
King went on to describe the consensus around the NFL as mirroring the general manager’s comments.
That was a common belief around the league after the Adams trade went down. But Seattle in this era will take the proven player over the maybe, and a motivated-to-stick-it-to-his-doubters Adams could be the best safety in football in 2020. The best safety in football is surely worth two picks in the twenties.
The Seahawks Were Willing to Part With What Are Typically Late 1st Round Picks
The Seahawks’ justification was simple in that the team has typically drafted late in the first round since Pete Carroll arrived in Seattle. As Carroll admitted, players of Adams’ caliber are gone by the time the Seahawks are drafting in the first round.
“We haven’t drafted above 25 for what—10 years?” Carroll told NBC Sports. “So we haven’t had a shot at a top-10 pick in a while, and we haven’t had a shot at a top safety in the draft since Earl. This was an extraordinary opportunity for us. Jamal’s a legitimate impact player, in the style we love.”
Seattle also added their 2021 third-round pick and Bradley McDougald. It is hard to argue that the Seahawks did not give up a lot in the trade, but the move indicates that the team understands championship windows are fleeting.
With a top-five quarterback, the Seahawks enter every NFL season with a chance to win a Super Bowl. The opportunity to have a perennial Pro Bowler won out over the potential of future rookies, especially given Adams can help Russell Wilson win now.
Carroll Admitted the Seahawks Worked on the Adams Trade for ‘Months’
Carroll told Sirus XM NFL radio that it took months for the Seahawks to complete the deal for Adams. The Seahawks head coach noted that the team tries to stay in on every deal, and it was a “long journey to get to this point.”
“Well, first off, our mentality is to always compete,” Carroll noted, per The Seattle Times. “We’re competing in every one of these opportunities. So this discussion, this conversation started months ago and it’s just taken a long journey to get to this point. And it took vision and foresight, and really, the guts to hang in there, and really, the courage to make a big move like this. It’s hard for teams to make a big move, but John had — and we were concentrating on this thing, and so he went for it and pulled the trigger, and then we got it done. So it’s been a long time.”
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