Re-grading Seahawks Jamal Adams trade two seasons in

As we look to the future of the Seahawks, we know change is imminent.  It’s possible that big change comes on several fronts this year.  Pete Carroll may step down as head coach, he may hang around. But we know Jamal Adams is going to be around for a few more seasons in Seattle.

Russell Wilson may be traded, he may not be.  However, there are a few players that we know for certain will be returning in 2022, regardless of a changing of the guard at the top of the organization.

These players can’t be moved on from before 2022 because it would be more expensive to not have them than it would be to keep them around.  These guys include Tyler Lockett and Jamal Adams.

Grading the Jamal Adams trade again, two seasons later

It’s July 25, 2020.  The Seahawks have made a move, and it’s a big one.

Let’s start with the easy stuff.  It’s hard to place a value on the 4th round pick the Seahawks received from the Jets, and we’ll have to wait for the draft to roll around for a clearer picture of what that selection is worth.

The 2021 draft capital ceded to the Jets (Picks 23 and 86) was all traded to the Minnesota Vikings to acquire the 14th overall pick of the draft (with which they picked Alijah Vera-Tucker).  Had the Seahawks held on to their first-rounder, they likely would not have traded up and would have made a pick at number 23.  Some notable players selected at 23 or later:  Christian Darrisaw (LT, Vikings), Odafe Oweh (DE, Ravens), and Landon Dickerson (C, Eagles).

These three all would have been great picks by Seattle, as Darrisaw and Oweh are already having big impacts on their respective teams.  Darrisaw may have been a long-term replacement for Duane Brown, and Odafe Oweh has been superb at creating plays on defense and would have been great to have alongside the likes of Darrell Taylor and Carlos Dunlap.

However, I believe that, when being used correctly in a system that showcases his abilities, Jamal Adams has the potential to be a top-3 to top-5 safety in the league.  There’s not a player sticking out to me from the back half of the 2021 first round (so far) that has the potential to be the very best at his position.

While Adams has had two disappointing injury-riddled seasons thus far, he’s signed to a long-term contract now and will be around at least for the next several seasons.  As I said, he needs to be placed in a system that allows for electric plays rather than forcing him into coverage.

While he has much improved in the passing game this season (completion percentage down 19 percent and passer rating down 12 points when targeted), he had 0 sacks all season.  It has to be concerning that the guy who set the record for sacks by a defensive back in 2020 had 0 all year in 2021.  Whether it’s Pete Carroll or Ken Norton, someone isn’t using Adams properly, and I hope he returns to dominance in 2022.  If not, it makes the Seahawks side of the deal look really bad.

The kicker for this trade is the 2022 first-round pick given to the Jets by the Seahawks.  It’s currently sitting at the 7th overall selection and will be a guaranteed top-10 pick.  While Seahawks fans would be overjoyed to have that pick in our possession, we have to realize that absolutely no one saw a 6- or 7-win season coming for Seattle.  I can’t put a whole lot of blame on the front office for trading away what should have been a pick somewhere in the 25-30 range, but it sure does look bad now.

Overall Grades

Right now, I think the Jets are slight winners in this trade.  If the player they take (or trade the pick to get) in 2022 ends up being a superstar, Seattle looks worse.  If Jamal Adams returns next season to play All-Pro football and continues his dominance across the rest of his contract, the Seahawks may actually have won the deal.  Here are my current grades:

Seattle Seahawks:  B-

New York Jets:  A-