Will Seahawks trade Jamal Adams?
Why the Seahawks could choose to part ways this year, plus Geno Smith's comments on the draft: Seaside Joe 1510
Maybe it's just because one of them came from the Jets and one of them was traded to the Jets, but I couldn’t help myself from comparing Jamal Adams to Percy Harvin when I had a thought on Thursday. Oh thoughts…where do you come from, where do you go, where do you come from, thoughtton-eye Joe?
Pete Carroll doesn’t dwell on bad decisions, choosing to take the risk that he’s cutting someone “too early” than he is waiting until it’s too late. The Seattle Seahawks traded a first round pick to the Vikings for Harvin in 2013, paid him, then traded him to New York for a sixth round pick only five games into the 2014 season. Harvin was only 26—part of the reason that Carroll valued him so highly in trade—but it didn’t take long for the rest of the world to see what Seattle saw during their 19 months with him…
He was toast.
Harvin played in eight games for the Jets in 2014, then seven games total for the Bills from 2015 to 2016. Over his final four years in the NFL, Harvin scored three touchdowns. Not counting his kickoff return in the Super Bowl, the one reason that many Seahawks fans continue to believe that the trade and the contract were worth it.
Will Adams ever get the chance to prove his worth?
I have long believed, and still pretty much think, that Pete Carroll will give Jamal Adams every opportunity to return to the field in 2023 and prove himself as a valuable member of the defense in some capacity. Not because he owes him the chance, not because of “always compete”, and not because I believe that getting back Adams would be as valuable as say, trading for Budda Baker or signing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
It’s because the Seahawks literally can’t afford to trade Adams (it would cost them $3.2 million in cap space to do so, let alone the $21 million dead money hit) and I’m sure no teams are calling to inquire on his services right now. If Seattle could have saved money by cutting Adams, they might have already done so, and this is not to condemn what he could be to the team as a football player.
It’s merely that he’s missed four games, five games, and 16 games over the past three seasons. The Seahawks can no longer make plans with Adams, he’s too flaky.
Therefore, the Seahawks signed Julian Love and though Pete has made it very clear that his addition doesn’t beget a change for Adams, it absolutely prepares for one. As Top Billin’ noted in his breakdown of Devin Bush last month, playing Jamal Adams at linebacker just does not make ANY sense.
If the Seahawks draft a cornerback, safety, or versatile defensive back next month—probably within the first three rounds, but we can’t rule out that a fourth or fifth round safety could have an immediate impact—it could soon change their plans for Adams. If Seattle did add Devon Witherspoon or one of his teammates like Jartavius Martin or someone of similar vibes, it allows the Seahawks to start (and maybe continue and then finish) their season without Jamal Adams.
If the Seahawks get past June 1st, only $2.56 million of his 2023 base salary is guaranteed. If they can trade him, they would save some portion of his $11 million base salary depending on when it happens, as well as how much the other team agrees to pay; we just saw the Rams trade Allen Robinson to the Steelers, with L.A. conceding to pay $10 million of his $15 million salary.
That netted a seventh round pick swap.
Trading Adams would not be because the Seahawks want salary cap relief or a good draft pick. Those ships sail as soon as teams throw up the white flag on a player who cost them a lot to acquire. If the 49ers trade Trey Lance, they can’t hope to get one-third the value that they got to acquire him (three first round picks) only two years ago. They’ll be lucky to get a second rounder.
Seattle traded two first round picks for Adams and they might be looking to get a sixth rounder if they do decide to look for trade partners. Much of this will depend on Adams’ availability going into the season (which is looking iffy) and how the Seahawks roster looks after the draft. But they are talking to safety prospects, they could certainly make a move there early-ish, and even if Pete says that Love doesn’t impact Adams right now…That might not be true in three months.
If Jamal Adams returns in training camp and looks great and is ready for Week 1, that’s something to consider. But he was ready to go in Week 1 of the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons too.
That’s also something to consider.
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Geno Smith on Richard Sherman’s podcast
Geno talked to Richard Sherman for 20 minutes on Thursday and it’s worth a quick watch, but I wouldn’t say that anything groundbreaking happened. They talked about how much different Pete is as a head coach than everyone else they’ve encountered—which is all the positive energy stuff you already know about—and Geno’s goal of beating the 49ers and winning the division.
I thought it was also funny that Sherman asked Geno about the draft and Geno said that as a GM he would definitely want to draft the best player available regardless of position…then he listed off a bunch of positions…but not quarterback.
And nine days ago, Quandre Diggs went on Sherman’s podcast and they also echoed that Jalen Carter is the right pick for Seattle because of the players and coaches that they have in the building to set him right.
Bijan Robinson: I’ve only met with Eagles, Bucs
Robinson says he’s only met with two teams in the pre-draft process. This should only emphasize that teams make top-30 visits for verification purposes and there are plenty of franchises that had nothing left to check with in regards to Bijan. There are apparently no medical concerns. No character concerns. No “Why did you run here?” or “Why did you do that?” questions on tape.
The fewer teams that have met with Bijan Robinson, probably the more likely that he’s going in the top-15. We’ve seen everyone mock Robinson to the Eagles at #10, but Daniel Jeremiah was quoted on Thursday as essentially saying, “I worked for Philadelphia for two years and if there’s such a thing as less than a zero-percent chance, that’s what I would say about the Eagles drafting Bijan Robinson.”
I had a lot of fun mocking Bijan Robinson in the top-10 on Wednesday. Read my entire two-round mock draft with three Seahawks trades right here!
Twitter removes legacy blue checkmarks
This is wild. I love it.
What if the NFL doesn’t value the QB class as much as the media does?
Just was thinking of this article I wrote three months ago and how relevant it feels today based on some videos I watched, podcasts I listened to, and articles I read.
Tyree Wilson vs Will Anderson
In case you’re not confused enough about the debate between these two edge rushers ever since Chris Simms ranked Wilson one (“He’s Myles Garrett”) and Anderson fifth (“I don’t understand the top-10 talk”), PFF mentioned how low they are on Tyree Wilson.
Of course, PFF relies more on stats than tape, but then someone explain why they’re so high on Will Levis and Anthony Richardson?
Chuck Pagano on Lukas Van Ness
I am enjoying content by The 33rd Team because they consult with former NFL coaches, GMs, and players. Here is Chuck Pagano talking about why Van Ness could become a star NFL pass rusher but that he will need a year or two to develop because he’s inexperienced and raw. It’s interesting to think about how talk around players at other positions compares to Richardson; is it more fair to take a developmental chance on non-QBs as it is with QBs?
Or is it just too much to expect QBs to develop because that job is so intricate and is so difficult to play at a high, top-15 level?
Lukas Van Ness is an edge rusher out of Iowa who could go anywhere from top-10 to the end of the first round. The NFL is loaded with pass rushers and defensive players who didn’t have consensus support/belief going into the league (J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt, Jeffery Simmons, Aaron Donald, etc. etc. etc.) but also plenty of bad first round picks. How do you tell the difference?
Find that out and you’ll be an NFL executive by tomorrow.
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Jamal Adams... what a frustrating career that guy has had. You have to think his expectations for himself after he set the safety sack record with Seattle were sky-high, then... injuries. The D last year had been configured to his strengths, and they are setting up to do so again but hedging their bets by signing (and probably drafting) "Jamal Adams" types to fill the slot if he can't.
I am pulling for him. There is a good player in there, still, and if his body cooperates we may see the Comeback Player of the Year again--he would have to be an early favorite if he can make it back onto the field.
My 2 cents worth. The Seahawks want Jamal Adams to return to his first year form more than anything else. If he is not the same player I can see your scenario. Top Billin was talking about how Jamal can't be expected to fill gaps like a traditional linebacker. He was saying he could be great at playing the new highbred role or big nickel. Blitz him sure, but he is not big enough to take on gaurds like Bobby Wagner. Pete is crossing his fingers Adams comes back and plays a major role. He is a F up the play type weapon. Yes he couldn't catch a cold but he can do so many other things. Love was an absolute must, because the truth is they can't count on Jamal, but I hope he plays great. My prediction is Seahawk fans are going to love Julian