Report: Seahawks Prepared to Franchise Tag Jamal Adams Without Extension
When it comes to trying to negotiate a long-term deal with Jamal Adams, the Seahawks appear to have reached their limit.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, via a league source familiar with the situation, Seattle plans to let Adams play out the final year of his rookie contract and use the franchise tag on him in 2022 and 2023 if he opts not to sign an extension. The organization views their latest contract offer as "fair and appropriate" for a player of his caliber and doesn't plan to re-open negotiations, believing he will eventually show up and play to avoid losing his $9.6 million salary for 2021.
Per a report from Adam Jude and Bob Condotta with the Seattle Times earlier this month, the Seahawks recently made their "final" offer to Adams at $17.5 million annually on a four-year contract with $38 million guaranteed. Adams' camp seemed on board with the total salary, but countered by seeking $40 million guaranteed and moving more of his signing bonus into the first three years of the extension.
Dating back to when the Seahawks originally acquired Adams prior to the 2020 season, a contract impasse developing between the two sides always remained a possibility. General manager John Schneider's decision to trade two first-round picks to the Jets for the star safety without signing him to an extension as part of the deal has been heavily scrutinized, in large part due to the fact the player forced his way out of New York because of failed contract talks.
Willing to play out the 2020 season without an extension to join a contender, Adams played the role of good soldier last season. He started 12 games for Seattle, breaking Adrian Wilson's single-season record for defensive backs with 9.5 sacks and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors despite playing through broken fingers and a torn labrum in his shoulder. He also received his third Pro Bowl selection.
But as the Seahawks knew when they acquired Adams over a year ago, they would eventually have to back up the Brinks truck to the VMAC and show the versatile defender the money. Long before being traded, he aspired to become the league's highest-paid safety and viewing himself as a defensive weapon, reports surfaced indicating he wanted top pass rusher-worthy compensation north of $19 million annually.
Given the king's ransom Seattle gave up to bring Adams to the Pacific Northwest, the general narrative has been that the player held most of the leverage entering negotiations. By not signing the offer currently on the table, he and his agent are clearly trying to maximize that leverage as much as possible, but the organization hasn't blinked and NFL rules give them a bit of their own leverage.
If Adams doesn't sign a long-term deal, the Seahawks can place the franchise tag on him next March. According to OverTheCap.com, the tag for safeties in 2022 would be $13.5 million fully guaranteed, significantly less than the annual compensation in the team's latest offer.
In 2023, Seattle could apply the tag again at an estimated $15.5 million fully guaranteed. This means the team can maintain control of Adams for the next three seasons for around $40 million, or the same amount his camp has demanded in guaranteed money on a long-term extension.
Per Florio, Adams' camp would dispute his position if slapped with the franchise tag, arguing he should be classified as a linebacker instead of a safety. If the league ruled in favor of Adams - which would be a tough sell to make, especially since he didn't argue against compensation for his fifth-year option as a safety - the financial ramifications would be significant for the Seahawks, as the estimated tag value for linebackers in 2022 is north of $17 million and would approach $20 million in 2023.
Considering these scenarios, the Seahawks are banking on Adams eventually conceding and signing their current offer for long-term security to avoid playing the dreaded year-to-year tag game. According to a source, he's fully recovered from offseason shoulder and finger surgeries and would be ready to practice right away once a deal has been struck.
But until that happens, Adams will remain a bystander sporting a cap on the sidelines as he has throughout training camp thus far. And if he doesn't sign the dotted line in the next three weeks, who knows how things will play out if there isn't a new contract in place before Seattle's regular season opener in Indianapolis on September 12.
