NFL
Future Outlooks, Trade Grades, & Takeaways From the Jamal Adams Trade
What to know about the Jamal Adams trade regarding the Seahawks new secondary, Adams future outlook, Jets draft picks, and more!
The Ringer
UPDATE: New York Jets trade S Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks with a 2021 4th Rd Pick for S Bradley McDougald, 2021 1st Rd Pick, 2022 1st Rd Pick, and a 2021 3rd Rd pick pic.twitter.com/B2yaoedUVG
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 26, 2020
The Seattle Seahawks have upgraded their secondary for the second time this offseason, landing All-Pro Safety Jamal Adams. Adding Jamal Adams to a talented core gives the Seattle Seahawks a greater chance for long-term success and can ultimately get them back to winning it all. It’s no coincidence that their last Super Bowl run was led by DBs Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman on the defensive side of the ball.
The New York Jets landed premium value for arguably the best Safety in the game and this has all the makings of what could be viewed as a win-win trade if the Jets add a high-level player with one of those picks. Learn more about the new futures in New York and Seattle that are created from this and the impact this trade will have on the game.
For a primer on what the colors mean, click here. For NYJ’s full Team Outlook, click here
The New York Jets have an amazing opportunity to add multiple high potential players to their roster after landing a massive package of picks and a solid S in Bradley McDougald. The 29-year-old’s inclusion in this deal can’t be understated as his play-by-play grades at PFF valued him as the 22nd best NFL Safety in 2018. He’s consistently done what he’s needed to do, but Jamal Adams is simply on another level and it’ll be near impossible for McDougald to step in and replace the All-Pro caliber play of Adams, but that’s why NYJ managed to also add TWO first round picks PLUS a third-for-fourth swap in the deal. The Jets had some good momentum entering 2020 after they roared back from a 1-7 start to the 2019 season by finishing 6-2.
With the massive loss of Jamal Adams, COVID-19, new NFL rules, and coaching/management being more important than ever, the Jets could realistically struggle once again this season. Nobody expected NYJ to seriously contend this year whether Jamal Adams was on the team or not, and considering he was looking for the top-market value contract he deserves, his trade value was going to drop as soon as Week 1 began. GM Joe Douglas chose to get premium value for him instead of pay him, and will try to use those resources to find multiple high-level players instead of just one expensive Safety, which is considered the least important defensive position due to the numerous plays at the line of scrimmage they don’t impact at all.
Knowing New York’s lackluster track record at drafting and/or developing players, it’s hard to believe these picks will be different, but they do have a fresh GM and a coaching staff that could be facing a make-or-break season in 2020. The GM gets two additional opportunities to add to the young cornerstones of QB Sam Darnold, DL Quinnen Williams, LB C.J. Mosley, and OT Mekhi Becton while the Head Coach gets a downgrade at Safety, but still a much better outcome than having to force 3rd Rd rookie S Ashtyn Davis in there.
TRADE GRADE: B
The Seahawks made major moves to enhance their defensive backfield this offseason. A team that was known for their fearsome Legion of Boom secondary to start the last decade has acquired the necessary pieces to make another Super Bowl run during the early 2020s. Trading for Quinton Dunbar earlier this year landed Seattle a rangy CB that quickly made a name for himself as he posted the second-highest PFF grade of any CB in 2019 behind former “LOB” member Richard Sherman.
The former Florida WR forced himself off the Washington Football Team but is caught up in some questionable legal issues with Giants CB DeAndre Baker. Once the Dunbar situation gets under control, SEA will boast a secondary of Quinton Dunbar, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Blair, Shaquill Griffin, and Jamal Adams which is going to be an issue for NFC offenses. While they have a great balance of vets, Seattle’s first NFL draft picks over the last four drafts were OL Germain Ifedi (31st), DL Malik McDowell (35th), RB Rashaad Penny (27th), and L.J. Collier (29th). Jamal Adams is a HUGE upgrade over any two of those players combined any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.
Although the Seahawks gave up a ransom for the least valuable defensive position, they didn’t just get any safety. They landed one of the smartest, most determined, and most talented safeties in the NFL. Taking into account similar trade packages like two 1sts for Jalen Ramsey, the Laremy Tunsil-Kenny Still trade, and the Khalil Mack deal, this looks like a worthy investment for Seattle. The Seahawks are in win-now mode with a MVP-caliber QB, solid offensive weapons, the best offensive line of Wilson’s career, a Bobby Wagner-led defense, and now an elite leader in the secondary that puts Adams alongside two PFF top-10 CBs from 2019. While the 12th man might not provide much, if any, advantage this year, Seattle still instantly becomes one of the top teams to beat in the NFC entering 2020.
TRADE GRADE: B+
While two 1st Rd picks AND starting S Bradley McDougald looks like an incredible haul on paper for the Jets, that New York franchise has made questionable moves in recent years (ex. firing their GM Mike Maccagnan after he completed running their 2019 offseason draft and free agency). Now a well-led organization in Seattle will have one of the best safeties in the game because the management team and culture that Adam Gase created in New York has struggled to gain respect from his players (Ex. Kelechi Osemele). While a neutral value standpoint says the Jets won the trade, they really only win if they hit on those 1st Round picks and their recent history in that regard inspires skepticism of that risk ever becoming a reality.
Top Takeaway: The Jets are losing their best player since Darrelle Revis
Jamal Adams was the best player on the Jets for the three seasons he played with the franchise. The 24-year-old was the vocal leader of a mediocre defensive unit and plays with a sense of passion that’s contagious amongst his teammates. Gaining Bradley McDougald lessens the blow for New York but Jamal Adams is a generational talent that Jets fans could never witness again. With the Seahawks having Adams on his 5th-year option in 2021, the franchise doesn’t technically have to break the bank until 2022, where he’ll likely break the record for the highest-paid Safety in NFL history.
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