Getty The Seahawks may have made a mistake with the acquisition of Jamal Adams.
The Seattle Seahawks paid a king’s ransom for this trade to go through.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Seahawks pulled off one of the worst trades in the past decade when they acquired safety Jamal Adams from the New York Jets. Seattle made the trade in July of 2020 when they gave up and first and third-rounders in the 2021 NFL Draft, a first-round draft selection in 2022 and safety Bradley McDougald.
To top it all off, the Seahawks ended up signing Adams to a four-year, $70 million contract extension prior to the start of the 2021 season, making him the highest-paid safety in the league at $17.5 million per year.
Adams was recently ruled out for the 2021 season after suffering a torn labrum in the team’s game versus the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.
Seahawks Gave up Too Much Draft Capital for Adams
Knox goes into detail on why this trade — just 17 months later — is bad.
“What makes the Adams trade look bad roughly a year-and-a-half in is the fact that Seattle has invested heavily in a strong safety,” says Knox. “Adams is the highest-paid safety in the NFL in terms of annual value and doesn’t play the premier deep-safety role.
While Adams did have an impressive 9.5 sacks in 2020, he isn’t a turnover machine. He’s had just two interceptions and one forced fumble since joining the Seahawks. He’s just OK in coverage, allowing an opposing passer rating of 104.7 in 2020 and 93.8 in 2021.
Injuries are also a growing concern, as Adams will now miss nine games in his first two Seattle seasons
On top of everything, Seattle’s struggles this season currently have the Seahawks set to part with a top-five draft pick, according to Tankathon. That’s a huge problem because Seattle may be in the market for a new quarterback come April.”
As Knox notes, Adams has been fine as far as production is concerned. The 26-year-old is in the thick of his prime and was actually named a Second-Team All-Pro selection last year.
While one could gripe over the $17.5 million cap hit per season, it’s the draft picks that the Seahawks gave up that’s really going to hurt them. Seattle appears to be destined for clear rebuilding mode and while Pete Carroll may continue to stress they’re in “win-now” mode as they make a last-ditch effort to make the postseason, this team is likely going to tear it down in 2022.
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Seahawks Face Uphill Battle Drafting Wilson’s Replacement
If that’s the case, Russell Wilson is on his way out. The problem is, the Seahawks don’t have the draft capital to select Wilson’s replacement in the draft.
“Plenty of trade chatter surrounded quarterback Russell Wilson this past offseason, and some believe Wilson could try to force a trade in 2022,” says Knox.
“Perhaps Seattle couldn’t foresee the quarterback drama, but parting with future draft picks is always a gamble,” Knox continues. “That gamble isn’t quite paying off, as Adams was good (two interceptions, 87 tackles) but not great (no sacks or forced fumbles) in his second Seahawks campaign.”
The Seahawks could package a deal involving Wilson for a high draft pick — the New York Giants are due to have two first-round draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, one of Wilson’s potential suitors — or sign a veteran quarterback as a “bridge” option.
Regardless, the Seahawks are going to have to get crafty if they’re moving on from Wilson and entering rebuilding mode. And that’s really all due to the fact that they gave up too much for a safety who is really good — but not a game-changer type of player.