The Seattle Seahawks’ trade for New York Jets safety Jamal Adams in 2020 looked exciting at first, but it has shafted the team significantly and its negative impact on the team is especially palpable this season.
Seattle gave up two first-round picks (2021 and 2022) and a 2021 third-round pick to acquire Adams and a 2022 fourth-round pick. A steep price to pay for any player, but the Seahawks clearly felt that Adams could be the missing piece to a Super Bowl run. Adams himself had a fairly productive season, notching 9.5 sacks, 83 tackles (59 solo), 11 tackles for loss, and 14 quarterback hits among other contributions. However, the team as a whole failed, getting bounced in the wild card round by the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks only had three picks in this year’s draft and the trade played a sizable role in the situation. They were all but forced to sign Adams to a four-year contract extension because of the sunk cost. Unfortunately, the five-year veteran safety has not made as much of an impact on the field as he did last season and is now out for the year as a result of a shoulder injury that will require season-ending surgery.
The trade is looking worse than ever, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll defended it on SiriusXM NFL Radio in a surprising move, calling it a “terrific trade for us.”
Regardless of his play, Adams’ competitive fire is undeniable and Carroll stated he will be missed for the next five weeks because of that passionate element of his character.
“Unfortunately, he got hit just the wrong way and he’s going to have to get fixed up,” Carroll said Wednesday. “He’s been through this before and he’s really rocked by it, of course. We are all pulling for him to come out and get back at this thing as soon as possible. I’m really disappointed for him, as well as us.”
