Jamal Adams has been extremely outspoken about wanting the New York Jets to trade him and has done all he can to make himself as unfriendly a presence as possible.
Being disruptive and controversial got Adams what he wanted. (Well, not completely. Adams wasn’t traded to his hometown Dallas Cowboys.) On Saturday, the Jets traded the fourth-year safety to the Seattle Seahawks, getting him about as far away from New Jersey as possible while still remaining in the NFL.
But Adams makes a big jump in the standings, going from a 7-9 Jets team to an 11-5 playoff club in Seattle. The Seahawks also get a 2022 fourth-round pick as part of the deal.
Let’s get it!!! @Prez
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 25, 2020
Waiting for the right deal also paid off for the Jets. In exchange for Adams, the team gets first-round picks in 2021 and 2022, a 2021 third-round selection, and veteran safety Bradley McDougald, who will be a free agent after the 2020 season.
Adams has been causing friction with the Jets since mid-June when he told team management that he wanted to be traded. This past week, Adams told the New York Daily News‘ Manish Mehta that head coach Adam Gase isn’t “the right leader for this organization” while also criticizing general manager Joe Douglas for giving him mixed messages regarding a trade.
That may have been the final push the Jets needed to get rid of a vocally unhappy player.
@dallascowboys I got proof that Jamal Adams wants to come to Dallas pic.twitter.com/g398Wmqsft
— Jakson (@JaksonVelasquez) June 22, 2020
At issue was the Jets’ reluctance to discuss a contract extension with him. Adams is under contract for two more seasons and a total $10.7 million.
According to reports, he wants a big bump in his average annual salary. At $5.6 million per season, Adams is far behind the Chicago Bears’ Eddie Jackson, the highest-paid safety in the NFL, earning $14.6 million annually.
"You’re either Competing or you’re not!!!"
— Text from Pete Carroll— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) July 25, 2020
Now, that desire for a $15 million yearly salary is something for the Seahawks to work out with Adams. The hope in Seattle is surely that playing for a playoff contender under coach Pete Carroll — and this addition might push them to Super Bowl contender — might compel Adams to table the contract issues for the immediate future.
Safeties typically aren’t the impact players that edge rushers and cover cornerbacks are in today’s NFL, which might prevent Adams from getting the big payday he seeks. But Adams has been an effective pass rusher as a blitzer. Last season, he notched 6.5 sacks for the Jets.
Carroll might envision Adams pairing with free safety Quandre Diggs restoring the Seahawks’ defense to its “Legion of Boom” heyday when Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor manned the deep secondary. Yet Adams hasn’t created as many turnovers during his career as Thomas did when he was at his best for the Seahawks.
That may have to change for Adams to get a new contract and for the Seahawks to benefit from the big haul they traded to get him.
