If Seahawks Covet Superstar, One Defender Should Remain Top Priority
Entering this offseason, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson asked his franchise to go and get superstars. General manager John Schneider has had other ideas, however, at least thus far.
While the Seahawks have added quality contributors and a few new starters, they haven't added anybody who would qualify as a star. But Seattle has been linked to several star players this offseason and oddly enough, most are still available in mid-July.
In the past 10 days, the Seahawks have been linked to two stars, receiver Antonio Brown and Jets safety Jamal Adams. According to 710 ESPN Seattle's Jake Heaps and our own Corbin Smith, the Seahawks are actively engaged in trade talks with the Jets about Adams. The Brown rumor has lingered for a few weeks and the small ember of a rumor got a heavy dose of lighter fluid when Wilson released workout videos with the perennial All-Pro on his social media.
Of course, most 12s desire to add talent at the edge position, where Seattle has been linked rather seriously to Yannick Ngakoue and Jadeveon Clowney, both of whom are still available. Even Everson Griffin has been linked to Seattle, though he may now fall short of the "star" category.
All of these players make some form of sense for the Seahawks and, in theory, they have the means to get any one of them. Acquiring two of them is a stretch even in the mind of the most optimistic, or perhaps delusional, fans of the team. So if Seattle can land one, who should be their top priority?
Let's start by eliminating one name, shall we? Brown may be the cheapest to acquire but he easily comes with the most baggage of the group. In Seattle's low volume passing attack, adding a player who is facing a hefty suspension to garner four or five targets at a position of strength is a waste of resources, especially when Josh Gordon is a strong candidate to return. Gordon carries some baggage, but it pails in comparison to Brown's and his skill set isn't reliant on targets to make a difference.
After Brown, any of the three names (Adams, Clowney, Ngakoue) would make the Seahawks significantly better. However, there is one player who rises above the rest. Adams should be the first priority amongst these four players, despite Seattle's apparent depth at the safety position and their lack of depth on the defensive line.
Why Adams over the three linemen? First and foremost, Adams is simply the best player in the quartet. He excelled as a pass rusher, run stopper, and coverage man in 2019. While a lineman would fill a greater need, getting a difference maker in the secondary can improve your pass rush in more than one way.
Second, Adams has the most club control of the four. Ngakoue and Jones are both playing this season on a franchise tag. Clowney is a free agent so he may eventually come with more club control than Adams but at a significantly higher price. However, the odds favor Clowney signing a one year contract to hit the market again next year, while Adams has two guaranteed years locked in.
In addition, Adams also has a distinct money advantage in this situation. Clowney, Jones, and Ngakoue are all looking for long-term deals and are likely going to press for north of $20 million annually. While Clowney failed in his attempts to get there this year, the inability for him to take a physical certainly hurt those chances significantly and he will surely try again in 2020.
Meanwhile, Adams is set to make just $13.5 million over the next two seasons. Now, Adams wants to become the highest-paid safety in the league, but here again, the Seahawks can save money by giving a mega deal to Adams instead of Jones or Ngakoue.
The highest-paid safety in the league by AAV is Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who will make $14.6 million per season. 16 "Edge" players will earn more than Jackson annually. Paying a 25-year old Adams $15 million annually is quite reasonable and more in line with how the Seahawks like to pay their defensive players.
The Seahawks have never forked over big money to pass rushers. Even Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril came as bargains and when Seattle has had a chance to pay top of the market prices for a pass rusher like Frank Clark and Clowney, they have balked every time. But Seattle had no issue paying the "Legion of Boom" top of the market contracts.
It may seem counterproductive to trade for a safety over an edge rusher. And if Seattle came away with any of the big name pass rushers still available, nobody would be disappointed.
But if the Seahawks are genuinely "big name hunting" they should zero in on the younger, cheaper, and more versatile Adams. And with Quinton Dunbar's bizarre offseason still casting doubts about his availability, the secondary is becoming a bigger issue every single day.
