Over four years ago, way back in a time when the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning to socially distance the entire world, the Seattle Seahawks made a massive trade with the New York Jets. The Jets sent over All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to Seattle in exchange for two first-round picks as the Seahawks looked to add a much-needed impact player to their secondary.
After four seasons in Seattle, riddled with injuries, character concerns, and disappointing play, Adams was released in 2023.
The move to release Adams was a necessary one, as he could not stay healthy, and even when he was on the field, his play was diminished. Soon after Adams was released by the Seahawks, he was signed by the Tennessee Titans, along with fellow former Seattle safety Quandre Diggs. Adams went on to miss several more games in Tennessee due to injury before he was finally released midseason by the Titans.
Jamal Adams makes a confession about the Seattle Seahawks
In a recent interview with Tyler Dunne of Go Long, the now 29-year-old Jamal Adams chronicled his journey from starring at LSU to becoming a free agent today. Adams tells Dunne about his time in Tennessee after being cut by Seattle, and how his frustration with not playing led to his subsequent release in October. He says after he was cut by the Titans, he went home and discovered he had some other opportunities.
Interestingly enough, according to Adams, Seattle was one of the teams attempting to bring him in once Tennessee released him. Adams said, "Had the opportunity to go back to Seattle. I flirted with that a little bit. Didn't really know if that was the right situation for me to go back to that -- after they released me and that whole thing". Adams then went on to sign with the Detroit Lions in what he called a "no-brainer" decision for him.
There were reports Seattle wanted to possibly bring back Jamal Adams in the offseason, but not as a safety. The Seahawks liked Adams' skillset as a linebacker, but Adams wanted to play safety. Adams' claim actually tracks here, as Seattle was also looking for linebacker help in mid-October, around the time Adams was released by Tennessee.
Jamal Adams was released on October 17 and he claims Seattle was interested in bringing him back right after that. On October 23, Seattle ultimately traded for linebacker Ernest Jones IV, from Tennessee ironically, and the Adams reunion never ended up materializing.
It's fascinating to imagine what could have been had Adams buried the hatchet and returned to Seattle as a linebacker. Does that mean the Seahawks wouldn't have ended up trading for Ernest Jones? Would Tyrice Knight not have blossomed into a promising starter for Seattle for the foreseeable future? Or would Jamal Adams have found his niche as an athletic hybrid linebacker who played alongside Jones and Knight and possibly have revived his career?
Maybe in an alternate universe. The reality is that Adams felt spurned by Seattle and they both went their separate ways. Seattle decided on Ernest Jones, and Adams signed with the top team in the NFC and a legitimate Super Bowl contender, the Lions. However, Adams never saw the field as much as he wanted to. In fact, Adams' tenure in Detroit did not last long, as he only played in two games and recorded only three total tackles before he was ultimately released by Detroit on New Year's Day.