The Seahawks benefitted from one of the worst trades ever made, given what the Broncos gave up for quarterback Russell Wilson. But the Seahawks have their own experience when it comes to ill-advised moves for veteran players.
They sent a pair of first-round picks to the Jets for safety Jamal Adams. The Seahawks closed the books on that deal (and the long-term contract that followed it) this week, cutting Adams from the roster.
G.M. John Schneider defended the move in a recent interview with Seattle Sports 710.
“It was the COVID year,” Schneider said, via Mookie Alexander of FieldGulls.com. “We were picking [23rd overall in 2020], and in order to go from where we were and trying to [move] up to pick a guy like Jamal, who was picked [sixth overall in 2017], you’ve got to give up another first-round pick the next year. He came in here, our coaches did a great job with him, he had 9.5 sacks, goes to the Pro Bowl, is completely disruptive. He comes back the next year, he’s having a good season, gets hurt. Then he gets hurt again [Week 1 of 2022] — like really, really bad injury. So I feel bad for him.”
The Seahawks gave Adams a four-year, $70 million contract after his first season with the team. In four years with Seattle, he played in 34 of 66 regular-season games.
Yes, Adams is a great player when healthy. He plays with a degree of abandon that makes it difficult for him to stay that way.
He also has, at times, been a challenge for his teams to handle. The Jets dealt with it. The Seahawks experienced flashes of it in 2023.
If he was performing well and consistently, it wouldn’t have mattered. They’d deal with the headaches, and he’d still be on the team.
It remains to be seen which team Adams will be on in 2024. He’s only 28. If healthy, he can still play at a high level.