Seahawks new safety Jamal Adams is already a two-time professional bowler at 24. (Getty)
For those who complained that the Seahawks were not “fully involved” in going to the Super Bowl, the discussion ended on Saturday.
Instant reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle in the Seahawks trade for Jamal Adams
The Seahawks traded two first-round players, one third-round and safety, Bradley McDougald, with the New York Jets for safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick.
Despite the Seahawks being pretty confident with McDougald, Quandre Diggs and Marquise Blair, GM John Schneider was willing to give up a ton of quality picks for safety he considers to be one of the best defensive players in the league.
Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded a first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. For the Steelers, he immediately played as a defensive marker of the difference and drew attention as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Adams is considered to make a difference in the mold itself. Schneider and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll built two Super Bowl teams from back to front, starting with Legion of Boom High School and building around them. In this COVID-19 year, Adams is added to the Seahawks as a member of the Legion of Zoom.
Some compare Adams to a Kam Chancellor type security. Although he has had only two interceptions in his career, he has had 12 sacks in his three years in the league along with six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. Adams, who is just 24 years old, has also been selected for the last two Pro Bowls.
Last fall, the Jets spoke to the Dallas Cowboys about an Adams trade that did not happen. Regardless of whether or not that started his resentment at being a New York plane, his desire to leave the Jets in an exchange increased in the past two months.
He questioned the ability of head coach Adam Gase to be a leader that could lead the team to the Super Bowl. He criticized general manager Joe Douglas for not offering him a contract extension. He tore up owner Woody Johnson on charges that he made racist and sexist remarks during his stint as ambassador to the UK.
Back in Seattle, the Legion of Boom was built through the draft with Earl Thomas as the best selection of players taken in that version of the Seattle high school. Thomas was the Seahawks’ first championship defense building block as the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft. The Legion of Zoom, however, is being built through both the draft and trade. In addition to Adams’ commercial acquisition, both Diggs and Quinton Dunbar came to the team to choose the fifth-round draft.
The Seahawks now have four Pro Bowl-quality defensive backs. Dunbar is considered a Pro Bowl caliber cornerback. Shaquill Griffin went to the Pro Bowl last year. Diggs was a substitute for the Pro Bowl in 2018 with Detroit. Adams has been in two Pro Bowls.
Adams has been trying to be the highest-paid safety in the NFL, but he might be willing to stick to his contract with the Jets, which is a bargain right now. The Jets already paid him a bonus of $ 2,765,292. He comes to the Seahawks with a base salary of $ 825,000 in 2020 and a salary of $ 9.86 million in 2021. He hopes to earn more than $ 14.6 million a year in an extension.
Part of Schneider’s thinking behind the Adams trade is that if the Seahawks remain a playoff team, they couldn’t recruit the top six talents in the draft as Adams. That was also the Steelers’ thinking on the Fitzpatrick trade.
The Adams trade draws the Seahawks closer in talent to the San Francisco 49ers. Starting Sunday, the NFL Network will reveal the league’s 100 best players by player vote. The Adams acquisition gives the Seahawks seven of the top 100 players, tying the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints.
Apparently, the Seahawks are adding Adams to the family.
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O’Neil: Seahawks show strange smell of despair in Jamal Adams trade
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