Seattle Seahawks Must Reinstitute 'Always Compete' Mantra With Jamal Adams
Lined up 15 yards off the line of scrimmage in a two-high zone responsibility on 3rd and 11 inside nine minutes left in the second quarter, Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams zeroed in on San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings, readying himself to jump an in-breaking dig route short of the sticks.
Up front, the Seahawks hoped to quickly turn up the heat on quarterback Brock Purdy without bringing extra rushers, deploying a simulated pressure with linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks shooting the A-gaps and outside linebackers Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor dropping back into zone drops to compensate in coverage. Unfortunately, the exotic look didn't yield desired results, as the 49ers' offensive line picked up both Wagner and Brooks, leaving Purdy with a clean pocket.
Putting Adams in a situation of conflict, San Francisco had Jennings running a hard in-breaking 11-yard curl route, selling the dig with the intention of distracting the defender. The scheme worked to perfection as Adams took the bait playing too shallow and failing to keep his head on a swivel, allowing Deebo Samuel to zip past him on a skinny post route. By the time the safety reacted, it was too late as Purdy lofted a 54-yard touchdown to the speedy receiver, contributing to an eventual 28-16 victory over Seattle.
"As a defender, you have to play with great eyes and great discipline. If you don't do those things, you give up shots," Adams said of the play after the game. "Obviously, I was sitting and waiting on the dig and they brought Deebo over the top. It was just a bang-bang play, I was too short and I was sitting flat-footed."
Left in the dust after an inexcusable coverage breakdown when the Seahawks had a chance to get another stop on third and long and maintain a slim lead on the road, Adams deserves credit for acknowledging his miscue. But now in his fourth season with the franchise, such blunders have become far too frequent for one of the highest-paid defensive backs in the NFL, putting coach Pete Carroll and his staff in a tough spot.
With four games left to play and Seattle's playoff hopes slipping away amid a four-game losing streak, if Carroll wants to send a message to a unit that badly needs a wake up call and put everyone on notice, he should adhere to his "Always Compete" mantra and reduce Adams' role to force him to earn his starting spot - and potentially a future with the team beyond 2023 - back in the final stretch.
Why should Adams be used to set such an example? For one, with an annual salary north of $17 million, he hasn't delivered the goods expected from one of the highest-paid defenders in the sport, making him the poster boy for an underachieving defense that ranks 28th in yards, 27th in scoring per game, and 27th in explosive plays allowed.
Coming back from a severe knee injury in a Week 4 win over the Giants, Adams has put up a decent stat line in nine games for the Seahawks this season. Along with 48 combined tackles, he has produced seven tackles for loss and a pair of pass deflections, including a key pass breakup with his helmet in a win over the Browns in Week 8, while Pro Football Focus has credited him with a respectable 23 percent pressure rate on 30 blitz attempts.
Always looking to jaw at opponents and flex after making plays, Jamal Adams has unfortunately been receiving attention for all the wrong reasons this season, putting his Seahawks future in question.
© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
However, Adams has turned seven pressures into only two quarterback hits and no sacks, failing to get home on the majority of his opportunities to rush the passer. Whether he wants to admit his struggles or not, he has been a hinderance in coverage more times than not for Seattle, allowing 28 receptions on 34 targets for 292 yards, two touchdowns, and a 122.1 passer rating.
With veteran Julian Love, second-year defender Coby Bryant, and others waiting for their opportunity, why not give them a chance to see what they can do taking some of Adams' snaps? It's not as if the defense could get much worse than it has been over the past three weeks.
Most importantly, the falling star's struggles have gone beyond subpar play, putting Carroll in a bind having to come to defense of the player on multiple occasions with questionable decisions off the field. While he was forthcoming after Sunday's defeat in Santa Clara, Adams hasn't been willing to own up to his mistakes most of the time, often retaliating in immature fashion instead and poorly representing the team.
Look no further than last month on X when Jets reporter Connor Hughes re-posted Adams surrendering a game-winning touchdown reception to Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson with a simple "yikes." Rather than taking the high road, the veteran safety crossed the line expressing his displeasure for all of the social media world to see, dishing out the same "yikes" re-posting a picture of the reporter's significant other.
When pressed about Adams personal war waged against Hughes and making the standoff public last week, Carroll told reporters that he already had talked to the player and felt the situation had been addressed.
“I don’t know if it was a great decision at the time. I’m not sure about the details of it, but I know that he realized that he needed to take it down," Carroll said. "We don’t want to be a part of that.”
Apparently, Adams didn't get the memo, at least with the last part of that statement. When he had a chance to apologize or at least make amends for the unnecessary personal dig a few days later, while he did delete the post, he doubled down on the presumption he wasn't in the wrong at all, citing his previous issues with Hughes when the two butted heads in New York.
Expressing no regret or remorse for his actions in the locker room moments after Carroll spoke, Adams clearly wanted the smoke, saying "when others go low, I go lower.”
“It’s always the athlete that crossed the line when he responds. But at the end of the day, disrespect is disrespect, however you want to take it,” Adams added. “So, I responded. I knew when I did hit that tweet, I wasn’t in it to win it. At the end of the day, it was to get him to understand, ‘Leave me the hell alone.’”
Raising virtual fists with a reporter wasn't the only negative headline Adams has drawn in recent months either. After being assessed early in his season debut against the Giants for concussion symptoms, he lost his cool when the independent neurologist determined he wouldn't be able to return to play and had to be restrained by team personnel on the sideline. Two weeks later, he received a $50,000 fine for inappropriate comments and contact towards a doctor in Cincinnati.
Whether allowing explosive plays in coverage between the lines, barking angrily at a neurologist on the sideline, or generating outrage with childish responses on social media, it hasn't been a year of many positives for Adams. After missing most of last season with a torn quad tendon, though there have been flashes of his former brilliance, he simply hasn't come close to performing like the uniquely talented All-Pro that Seattle thought it had acquired via trade prior to the 2020 season.
At the time of the deal, Seahawks general manager John Schneider received plenty of backlash for trading a pair of first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Jets for Adams, who many viewed as a great player who didn't play a premium position in today's NFL. After making such a substantial investment to bring him to the Pacific Northwest to begin with, the front office had little leverage in negotiations and handed him a four-year, $70 million extension in August 2021.
In fairness to Schneider, Adams had earned such a lucrative extension after setting an NFL record with 9.5 sacks as a defensive back in only 12 games in his first season with the Seahawks. Showcasing his unique set of skills, he earned Second-Team All-Pro recognition and helped the team win 12 games and clinch an NFC West title, making the trade look like a solid one despite the hefty acquisition cost.
But since signing the dotted line, whether due to persistent injuries or inconsistent play when healthy, Adams has not been the same difference making impact player. Over the past three seasons, he has missed 25 regular season games and has totaled more public spats on social media than sacks, as he hasn't brought a quarterback down with the ball in his hands a single time during that time.
As the season winds down, coming off a dreadful outing where he allowed the long touchdown to Samuel and missed three bad tackles, the Seahawks have nearly 27 million reasons to be concerned about Adams performance and expect far more than they have received for their investment. That's the cap hit he will carry next season, more than five million higher than the next-highest safety in the league.
Moving on from Adams would be an expensive, sunken cost-loaded diversion, as Seattle would have to eat a dead cap hit of more than $20 million and only create $6 million after restructuring his contract earlier this season. But smart franchises know when to admit mistakes and jump off of a burning train, and right now, cutting ties with him would allow the team to have a fresh start at the position for a fraction of the cost.
Of course, such a verdict wouldn't be an easy one for Schneider or Carroll to digest. They continue to hope Adams rediscovers his pre-injury form and choosing to restructure his contract suggests they have him earmarked in their plans next season. Most likely, they will give him every opportunity down the stretch to reestablish himself as a star player worth keeping around, especially coming off an incredibly tough injury.
But in the scheme of things, that may not be the best course for Seattle to take with the season hanging in the balance and plenty of question marks on the roster. If competition truly remains one of Carroll's philosophical pillars, Adams should have to answer for his disappointing play and off-field antics beyond being called out in a radio interview, instead having to battle for snaps against Love, Bryant, and others eager for their shot.
If Adams responds favorably to a lesser role and elevates his game, the Seahawks will reap the benefits and keeping him on the roster next season will become a more viable option with more optimism towards the future. If Love, Bryant, or someone else seizes their opportunity and/or the veteran doesn't step up, it'll be an easier pill for Carroll and Schneider to swallow moving on from him next spring. Either way, it's a win-win for the franchise.
