The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly agreed to terms with S Jamal Adams on a new four-year contract extension worth $70 million.
Adams’ contract resets the market for the safety position, with an average of $17.5 million annually. The next closest contract in terms of annual value is Broncos’ Justin Simmons, who makes $15.25 million per year.
This deal or lack thereof may have been holding up negotiations for Tyrann Mathieu because of the inevitability of the deal and its resetting of the safety market. The Seahawks made a blockbuster deal with the New York Jets last season to acquire Adams in trade. They sent the first-round draft picks in 2021 and 2022 for a premium player, so they’re not just to going let that player walk. You also don’t trade that much away if you don’t value the player highly enough to sign them to an extension.
So what does this deal do for Tyrann Mathieu’s valuation? He’s in the final year of his deal with Kansas City and his contract situation has been the subject of many offseason discussions. Ahead of training camp, Mathieu was focused on the task at hand and wasn’t fazed by the lack of an extension.
“I’m not disappointed at all,” Mathieu said in regards to having not received a contract extension. “I think most people that know me, know I love to play football, so I haven’t had a chance to do that. It’s all about my teammates; it’s all about the guys around me and me just continuing to try to be who I am and not letting anything outside of that kind of influence how I operate day-to-day.”
Projections from both OverTheCap and Spotrac valued a Mathieu extension at $14 million per year before Adams signed his new deal. When Mathieu signed with Kansas City, it was to a three-year deal worth $42 million, which also amounts to $14 million annually.
It’s hard to imagine that Mathieu’s tenure with the Chiefs hasn’t earned a little raise. Since he’s arrived, Mathieu has claimed two first-team All-Pro seasons, two Lamar Hunt trophies, and a Super Bowl ring. Beyond that, his leadership and passion have completely changed the complexion of the defense in Kansas City.
The significant difference between these two players that could impact valuation is age. Adams is just 25 years old and Mathieu turned 29 years old this year. Still, Mathieu has plenty of great years left and he has every reason to want to be valued at the top of the market.
Those at the top of the organization have even mentioned that they would like to retain Mathieu beyond the final year of his contract.
“I’ve heard Tyrann (Mathieu) say that he would like to extend his career in Kansas City, and we feel the same way about that,” Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt said ahead of training camp. “Hopefully that will work out. . .”
Now, the team has a better idea of what it’s going to take to get that done. The ball is in Brett Veach’s court for the time being and it remains to be seen if he’ll get a deal done with Mathieu’s camp ahead of the start of the season. It’d be beneficial for the Chiefs to get things done now with a future extension for Orlando Brown Jr. also on the table next year.
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