Seahawks Overview and Outlook: Jamal Adams
This week's focus player is the versatile safety, Jamal Adams, who made a great first impression in his initial year with the Seahawks.
2020 Overview
When John Schneider pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Bradley McDougald and a whopping two first round picks and an additional third-rounder to the New York Jets for Jamal Adams, it shook the NFL world. It was one of the biggest moves of the entire offseason ahead of the 2020 campaign.
Adams came to Seattle with high expectations, coming off an All-Pro season in 2019 for New York. He is highly regarded as one of the most versatile defenders in the NFL today and one of the best safeties in the game, especially when close to the line of scrimmage.
In 2020, he became one of the most feared pass rushers in the game—as a safety. With 9.5 sacks, he broke the single-season sacks record for a defensive back and led the entire team. He played with reckless abandon and made an impact in every game he played in. Along with the high sack totals, he amassed 83 tackles, 11 for loss, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and 14 quarterback hits.
Unfortunately, he did not play in every game. Injuries hampered Adams for much of the season, which led him to miss four games. His ailments clearly slowed him down in some games in which he participated. One that immediately comes to mind is the NFC wild-card round matchup with the Rams. He looked less than 100 percent and it showed on several plays.
One other knock on his season was his occasional lapse in coverage. He allowed a 77.8 percent completion rate with a 104.7 passer rating.
Adams brings a lot of heart to the defense and the team feeds off his energy. He earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod in his first season with Seattle. While he isn't perfect in coverage, he makes up for it with his intimidating presence near the line of scrimmage. He routinely provided a spark to the defense when it needed it most.
Future Outlook
What lies beyond 2021 is still cloudy for the three-time Pro Bowler. He's set to play next season with a $9.86 million cap hit before hitting unrestricted free agency a year from now.
The Seahawks cannot afford to let him get away, in my opinion. He brings a presence at safety not seen in Seattle since Kam Chancellor in his prime. The front office must find a way to extend him. The LSU product is only 25 years old, with plenty of elite-level football left ahead of him.
With the salary cap still an issue this offseason, it may behoove Seattle to offer him an extension now and lower his cap hit for 2021. He will want to be one of the highest-paid safeties in the game and he deserves it. For reference, Denver's Justin Simmons is currently the bar to clear at $15.25 million per season over four years, totaling $61 million.
Adams will likley search for a payday in that range. A four-year, $62 million ($15.5 million AAY) seems like an offer he would accept, though he may aim higher at first by selling himself as a defensive swiss-army knife. The question is where Seattle stands in future salary cap dilemmas and how they could move money around to lessen his cap hit for this upcoming season.
Either way, Seattle needs to make sure it happens. A talent like Adams does not come along very often and, as we all have witnessed, the defense is much worse without him in the lineup.
