New York Jets' Jamal Adams warms-up before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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The Seattle Seahawks have acquired safety Jamal Adams and a 2022 fourth-round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for safety Bradley McDougald, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-rounder and a 2022 first-rounder. The deal is pending physicals.
Adams’ future with the Jets had been an ongoing question for months. Adams’ requested a trade which made his departure from New York inevitable.
My initial reaction to the trade was shock and awe – shock that it actually happened, then awe based on how much Seattle had to give up to get Adams. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
Jamal Adams is arguable one of the best, if not the best, safety in the league. Adams excels at everything, particularly pass coverage. He has been one of the most valuable defensive players in the NFL since entering the league in 2017, with only Harrison Smith eclipsing him in terms of win shares.
He broke up 10 passes and intercepted two more over the past two years while allowing only 44 completions into his coverage during that time. Receivers catching passes against Adams in 2019 gained just 4.5 yards per target, and Adams’ 0.31 yards per coverage snap is in the top fourth of the league at his position.
Giving up to two first round picks, a 3rd and Bradley McDougald is a tough pill to swallow, but given the caliber of player Adams is and the recent questionable first round picks by the Seahawks, this is an excellent move. Their defense was one of the worst in the league and was ranked dead last going into 2020. Adams gives the Seahawks a huge boost in pass coverage, as well as in run defense – something that has been missing from the strong safety position since Kam Chancellor retired from football.
Adams, along with cornerback Shaquill Griffin, safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Quinton Dunbar (if he can find a way to make it onto the field in 2020), the Seahawks may have the best secondary since the Legion of Boom.
