Championship teams make bold moves. For the last decade, the Patriots and Seahawks were the two most successful franchises in the league in large part because they routinely make aggressive moves like signing Cam Newton to improve their roster, no matter what month it is.
Seattle made another ground-shaking trade yesterday, agreeing to send two first-round picks to the Jets for Jamal Adams.
Adams is a player we’d identified as a great trade target for Carolina. While safety might not seem like a need after drafting Jeremy Chinn and Kenny Robinson, when an opportunity comes along to add a playmaker like Adams, good teams jump at the chance. As a Jets fan himself, Matt Rhule had to have Adams on his radar. We’ll probably never know if the Panthers called the Jets about Adams, but in any case their loss is the Seahawks’ gain.
How does this affect the picture in the NFC going into the 2020 season?
On paper, Carolina is still one of the worst teams in the conference. Acquiring a talent like Adams could have given them a huge boost, if not nearly enough to make the playoffs. The top of the postseason picture got more interesting, though.
As for Seattle, their rivalry with the 49ers was reinvigorated last year and they came within inches of beating the eventual conference champions twice. Adams could be enough to put them over the top compared to San Francisco. However, they don’t matchup as well with other heavyweight teams like the Saints, who beat them at home with Teddy Bridgewater starting last year.
Seattle also won a lot of close games in 2019 (they were only +7 in point differential for the season) and should expect some regression this year.
Adams will help keep them competitive, but unless they plan to let Russell Wilson off the leash on early downs (they won’t), they’re unlikely to win more than one playoff game.
While he’s developed into the best quarterback in the NFL not named Patrick Mahomes, Wilson can’t be expected to continually come from behind in the fourth quarter as he has most of his career. Until Pete Carroll updates his stubborn run-first philosophy, the Seahawks’ ceiling will remain low compared to other NFC contenders. They should still earn a wild card spot, though.
Here’s what we’re projecting the conference seeding to look like going into the postseason.
1. Saints
2. Vikings
3. Cowboys
4. 49ers
5. Seahawks
6. Buccaneers
7. Packers
8. Eagles
9. Rams
10. Falcons
11. Cardinals
12. Lions
13. Panthers
14. Bears
15. Giants
16. Washington
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