What a Seahawks trade for Jamal Adams could look like

Pete Carroll and John Schneider take pride in being in ‘on every deal.’ With Jamal Adams and the Jets at an impasse, the Seahawks should swoop in and trade for the disgruntled star.

The Seahawks have had a quiet, yet effective off-season. Sure, there are holes remaining. However, they have pretty much thrown every dart possible at their weak points hoping at least a couple players stick. That being said, there is still an aspect missing from this off-season. Fans are all left wondering when the ‘wow’ acquisition is coming.

It happens seemingly every year. We have the blockbuster for Marshawn Lunch in 2011, Percy Harvin in 2013, Jimmy Graham in 2015, Sheldon Richardson in 2017, or Jadeveon Clowney in 2019. You could even add in the acquisition of Quandre Diggs in 2019 and Quinton Dunbar in 2020. The Seattle leadership team is always looking for the next big trade.

The Seahawks currently have two quality starters in Bradley McDougald and Quandre Diggs. Both players are very solid, yet neither is near the level of being considered elite. Meanwhile, on the bench, Seattle has two players with potential in Marquise Blair and Ugo Amadi.

Meanwhile, the Jets and Jamal Adams seem to be at an impasse. It appears that the relationship has been severely damaged over the last year. From what I can tell, unless Adams receives an ungodly amount of money, he wants out. The most commonly linked team is the Cowboys, yet they don’t seem interested.

Seattle would be wise to look into this trade and see if a deal could be had.

So who is Jamal Adams, and why should the Seahawks trade for him?

Adams is a former first-round selection out of LSU in the 2017 NFL draft. During the pre-draft process, he was touted as being one of the most well-rounded safety prospects in recent years. He could play deep coverage or near the line of scrimmage. A couple stats from his college days: he was the 5th best player in coverage and 4th best run defender in the entire 2017 NFL draft, per PFF.

His success didn’t dwindle once he reached the pros either. During his 3-year NFL career to date, he has been named to the Pro Bowl twice and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019. If anything, he has simply gotten better. He is a vocal leader and lays it all out on the field.

          Jamaal Adams stats:

Year         2017       2018       2019

Tackles     83           115         75

Int               0              1              1

PD               6             12            7

Sacks         2              3.5          6.5

TFL             9               9             10

FF               1              3               2

So far in his career, he has allowed a completion percentage of just 53.2% cumulatively. In the last two years, PFF has thought very highly of his work as well. He graded as an 89.4 in 2018, and an 87.9 in 2019. Jamal Adams is a do it all strong safety. He can cover, he can hit, he can make the big plays and do it with consistency.

The Seahawks have been known under Coach Carroll to be a team that truly values their safeties. The team would benefit exponentially if they could acquire the star defensive back to help bring back some of the boom that is so sorely missed.

Jamal Adams is an incredible talent. He won’t be cheap to acquire. So, what would it take for the Seahawks to trade for him?

The original report came out saying that the Jets would require at least a first and third round pick in any trade for the star safety. This is not surprising. Adams is just 24 years old and still has 2 years remaining on his rookie deal. If you think he is good now, just wait until he hits his peak here in a couple of years.

What I think a trade could look like:

This trade would move a late first round pick to the Jets to help their rebuild while acquiring a player who brings a similar energy to the field. Blair plays fast, loves to hit and displayed very good route anticipation.

I am honestly a big fan of Blair and I think he has the potential to become a star. However, when a player who has already actualized their potential comes open for grabs the Seahawks would be fools to not at the least look into it. This is especially true given the current Superbowl window the team is in, and lack of long term contracts.

If Seattle were to trade for Adams, it would be foolish to do so without agreeing to an extension. With such high-value assets being traded, Seattle needs to ensure Adams will be on the team for years to come. Seattle inherits his rookie deal which contains a cap hit of $3.59 million for 2020 and $9.86 million for 2021. I am proposing a 3-year extension which will begin in 2022 and go through the 2024 season.

My proposed extension:

Terms: 3 years, $48 million

Avg Salary: $16 million

Gtd: $31 million

Cap hits by year:

• 2020: $8,490,000
• 2021: $11,910,000
• 2022: $12,750,000
• 2023: $13,450,000
• 2024: $14,850,000

This brings his total contract (including the one Seattle absorbed from his rookie deal) to a 5 year, $61.45 million. His new contract will be the top average salary for a safety, which was Adams’ goal ($16 million per year).

While his total contract for Seattle comes in at just $12.3 million per year when factoring in the remaining portion of his rookie contract. This would be an absolute steal for Seattle and a move that would be that ‘wow’ acquisition that we have all been waiting for.

Note: This trade is a dream acquisition for Seattle. However, I will say I think it is fairly unlikely it will occur. Seattle thinks very highly in Marquise Blair (as do I). I am sure they would rather give it one more year with Blair getting a chance to be ‘the guy’ on his much less expensive rookie contract before electing to pay/trade for a top safety. However, I proposed this to you because as I said in the intro, Seattle takes pride in being in on every deal. So I laid out what a deal and extension could look like.