Getty PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 27: General manager John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks addresses the media at Super Bowl XLIX Media Day Fueled by Gatorade inside U.S. Airways Center on January 27, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Did the Seattle Seahawks make one of the worst trades in recent memory? Though they got a good player out of it, one analyst had some very strong opinions when revisiting a blockbuster trade from 2020.
In July 2020, the Seahawks gave the New York Jets safety Bradley McDougald, two first-round picks and a third-round pick in exchange for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round selection. When revisiting the trade for a May 6 story, For the Win’s Christian D’Andrea said the trade had “aged like milk.”
“The trade didn’t look great at the time,” D’Andrea wrote. “The Seattle Seahawks, desperate to revive the Legion of Boom defense that made them a world champion and postseason mainstay in the 2010s, handed the New York Jets a quarterback’s ransom in exchange for the opportunity to give safety Jamal Adams a four-year, $70.5 million contract.”
Has Jamal Adams Lived Up to Contract?
A little over a year after acquiring Adams, the Seahawks gave him a four-year contract extension worth over $70 million. Since the trade, his career in Seattle has been up and down.
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Adams, who will turn 27 in October, has played in only 24 of 33 possible games in his first two seasons with the Seahawks, missing time with a groin injury in 2020 and a torn labrum in 2021. Despite playing just 12 games in 2020, Adams was named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler with a career-high 9.5 sacks.
Then, in 2021, the season after he signed his extension, Adams’ sack production evaporated. He finished last season with zero sacks and zero forced fumbles, although he did have multiple interceptions (two) in a season for the first time in his career.
Adams is still under contract through 2025, so he’ll have some time to silence the critics and help the Seahawks as they look to rebuild and become a contender once again. However, the contract does contain an out for the Seahawks after the 2023 season, meaning if his production doesn’t increase in the next seasons and the team decides to cut him before the 2024 season, it could save $34 million.
Revisiting Seattle’s Trade Compensation for Jamal Adams
Giving up multiple first-round picks for a safety, even one of the best in the league at the time, seemed risky at the time. Now, after seeing trades that have involved long-term starters at quarterback in recent years and considering Adams’ on-field performance, the trade doesn’t look too good.
Some other upgrades at quarterback, who add significantly more value to a team than a safety, didn’t require nearly as much compensation. For example, the Indianapolis Colts acquired Matt Ryan in March for only a third-round pick.
The Jets came away with resources to help build out their roster. They have used used two of the three draft picks they acquired to trade up in the 2021 draft and select offensive tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker. They used the other pick to take wide receiver Garrett Wilson in this year’s draft.
The assets that Seattle gave up for Adams were similar in value to what the Los Angeles Rams gave up to acquire star quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Rams gave the Detroit Lions two first-rounders, a third-rounder and quarterback Jared Goff and ended up winning their first Super Bowl since 1999. Meanwhile, the Seahawks during the Adams era lost an NFL wild-card game in 2020 and missed the playoffs altogether in 2021.