Seahawks news: Jamal Adams is likely not counted on early 2023

The Seattle Seahawks have remade their defense this offseason. This was done even though free safety Jamal Adams might return in 2023. Or maybe, it was done just assuming Adams, who always seems to be hurt, won't be healthy for a chunk of 2023.

Adams has missed literally half the games he could have played since joining the Seahawks in 2020. Last season, of course, he played only one-half of the first game of the season. Adams injured several parts of his body, but the most significant was his quadriceps. This required surgery of which the timeline for Adams' return is still in doubt.

General manager John Schneider told the NFL Network on Thursday that Adams doesn't have a timeline for returning. Or as Schneider put it exactly, "He's doing well. The company answer is that we don't know exactly, you know, timeline." Parsing Schneider's words, this likely means Adams is nowhere near coming back and shouldn't be counted on anywhere near the beginning of the coming season.

The return of Jamal Adams to the Seahawks in 2023 still seems in doubt

The writing was likely on the wall when Seattle chose to sign Julian Love this offseason to a two-year deal. The importance there is on the two-year part. If Adams were truly going to come back in the first part of the 2023 season, why sign Love to a multi-year contract? Love's signing seemed to imply that he would be the starter when the next season began (and deservedly so; Love could have signed many places and started every game for the Giants in 2022), and might be the long-term starter.

Adams could still be released with a post-June 1st designation which would save the Seahawks $8 million. One might almost assume this is going to happen as Seattle seemed to do the uncharacteristic thing of overspending this offseason. But if the team thought Adams might not return in 2023 and he would be released, it makes sense Seattle would make higher-cost (i.e. Dre'Mont Jones) signings.

This is all just me speculating, of course. Maybe Adams is ready by Week 1. But based on everything the Seahawks have done this offseason, along with recent comments from Schneider, it is just as likely Adams isn't on the roster at the start of the season. Love replacing Adams makes sense if Adams can't stay healthy, and he hasn't shown he can be while with Seattle.