Tag: Jamal Adams trade

2022 NFL mock draft: Jets get NC State OL prospect with Jamal Adams pick

Our latest example of just how costly the deal could be comes via a 2022 mock from our friends at Draft Wire.

Jamal Adams is an exceptional football player and one of the most unique defenders in the NFL today. That doesn’t make the trade the Seahawks made with the Jets to get him any more palatable, though. In the wake of the news that Adams will require season-ending surgery on his shoulder, Seattle’s deal to land No. 33 is looking much worse now than when it originally happened, which is about as bad as it gets.

Head coach Pete Carroll is still defending the deal, calling it a “terrific trade” for his team. Carroll can say whatever he wants but the hard truth is that the move cost Seattle a massive amount of draft capital, which will make keeping this team competitive that much more difficult.

Our latest example of just how costly the deal could be comes via a 2022 mock from our friends at Draft Wire. If the season were to end today, the Jets would be in line for two picks in the top five. In this particular mock, at No. 4 overall they selected standout LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., followed by North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu at No. 5 with the pick they got from the 4-8 Seahawks.

Ekwonu (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) was recently named a First Team All-American and is being mocked as high as No. 2 overall in some places.

The NFL draft is a crapshoot and there’s always a chance that Ekwonu will end up a bust at the next level. That’s what makes capital so important, though. The more picks a losing team has, the more likely they are to acquire an athlete who can change their fortunes. 

Seattle’s No. 1 personnel priority this coming offseason should be reinforcing the left side of the offensive line. Starting left tackle Duane Brown is set to become a free agent and will be 37 years old by the time next season begins. Meanwhile, left guard Damien Lewis has struggled since switching over from the right side and both Kyle Fuller and Ethan Pocic have misfired, suggesting there probably isn’t a long-term starter at center currently on the roster.

Fixing these issues up front may take more than one draft class, especially given the Seahawks’ poor track record of drafting OL in recent years. Being in position to draft a player like Ekwonu might have accelerated that process. Now, Seattle has to wait and watch on Day 1 of the draft, hoping that one of the top OL prospects falls into round two.

The trade for Adams was meant to be an all-in, win-now type move. It may turn out to be regime-changing blunder no matter how well Adams plays when he returns.

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Where does the Jamal Adams deal rank among worst trades of the Pete Carroll era?

Where does the Jamal Adams deal rank among worst trades of the Pete Carroll era?

Jamal Adams will be going on injured reserve soon, as we learned today the Seahawks safety has to undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder. While Adams is an excellent defender in a vacuum, the trade that brought him over from the Jets is beginning to look like a potential era-ending blunder. Given the massive draft capital and financial investment the team has made in Adams, every game he misses or doesn’t play at an All-Pro level is another crushing blow.

Here are the worst trades of the Pete Carroll, John Schneider era and where the Adams deal ranks among them.

Joe Douglas’ Jamal Adams trade looks more magical every week

As the Seahawks continue to stack up losses, it’s clear that Joe Douglas and the Jets pulled off a heist with the Jamal Adams trade.

There has been no shortage of lopsided trades in the NFL in recent years.

The Texans sent All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for a rapidly declining David Johnson and day two draft pick. The Raiders gave up two draft picks for Antonio Brown, who never played a regular-season snap with the team. The list goes on and on.

None of those trades compare to what Joe Douglas pulled off two summers ago, though.

Douglas had to get Jamal Adams out of town and the entire NFL knew it. The All-Pro safety was about as disgruntled as they come and had burned every bridge with the organization that drafted him. The damage was irreversible, and his time with the Jets was destined to end sooner than later.

In theory, Douglas shouldn’t have had much leverage in trade negotiations. The situation was bleak on the Jets’ end, as they were left with a player who found a new way to be a distraction on a near-daily basis. Adams didn’t exactly endear himself to other teams with the way he acted at the end of his stay in New York. And, as talented as he is, his position is not considered a premium one.

The Seahawks didn’t care, though. They had another trip to the Super Bowl in their sights and thought Adams could be a key part in helping them get there. John Schneider went all-in, sending two first-round picks and Bradley McDougald to the Jets in exchange for Adams and a 2022 fourth-round pick.

All parties involved got what they wanted at the time of the trade, but it is the Jets who can now say that they pulled off a heist. Seattle is struggling almost as badly as Gang Green did when Adams was with the team and the Jets currently own two top-five picks as a result, a dream scenario for Douglas given his affinity for building through the draft.

New York rid itself of a locker room cancer and jumpstarted its rebuild in one fell swoop. Nobody could have predicted the Seahawks dropping to the bottom of the NFC West this season, but the Jets aren’t complaining. They’re now in a position to reshape their roster with two high draft picks that have the talent and potential to change the direction of the franchise.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, haven’t even figured out how to use Adams after committing a massive amount of money and assets to him.

All that’s left for Douglas to do is hit on those two draft picks. He knocked it out of the park in last year’s draft by landing Michael Carter, Elijah Moore and Alijah Vera-Tucker. The possibilities are endless now that New York’s general manager has a chance to get his hands on two of the best players in college football.

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The Jamal Adams trade is the gift that keeps on giving for the Jets

Jamal Adams’ struggles with the Seahawks have directly contributed to the Jets’ future looking brighter by the day.

Joe Douglas’ decision to trade Jamal Adams to the Seahawks looks better and better every time he takes the field.

The Jets decided they finally had enough of Adams in July 2020. The All-Pro safety talked his way out of town, shattering his relationship with the organization that selected him sixth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. New York stumbled upon Seattle as a willing taker for Adams and acquired two first-round picks — one in 2021 and one in 2022 — and a third-round selection in last year’s draft.

Two first-round picks for a player who is truly nothing more than a box safety always seemed like a steep price for the Seahawks to pay. The four-year, $72 million contract extension with $38 million guaranteed that Seattle was essentially forced to hand out in August to justify dealing those picks made the trade even more questionable and more of a win for the rebuilding Jets.

Adams’ stint with the Seahawks has already taken a turn and he’s not even through his second season with the team. Adams earned himself a trip to the Pro Bowl and helped Seattle to the playoffs in 2020, but he has been largely unproductive so far this season.

The Seahawks are off to a 2-4 start and Adams has not come close to holding up his end of his contract. He hasn’t picked off a single pass since arriving in Seattle and his ability to get after opposing quarterbacks playing near the line of scrimmage has disappeared. Adams has yet to record a sack in 2021 after posting a career-high 9.5 last season.

Most recently, Adams saw a potentially game-altering interception embarrassingly bounce off his facemask in Seattle’s Sunday night loss to the Steelers. That’s not what is expected of a player who is paid as handsomely as Adams, though he’s always had trouble catching.

Adams’ new team is currently dead last in the NFC West and the Jets are reaping the benefits of the Seahawks’ struggles. New York is in possession of Seattle’s first-round pick this year and that pick swings more in Gang Green’s favor with each Seahawks loss. Currently, Seattle has the 10th selection, giving the Jets two top-10 picks at the moment.

Adams’ struggles with Seattle are all the sweeter for the Jets and their fanbase, which supported him all the way until he took a torch and lit that bridge on fire. The player who did nothing but bash New York on his way out the door hasn’t achieved the kind of success he imagined with the Seahawks, and the Jets are benefitting as a result.

There is still plenty of time for Adams and Seattle to get back on track. Frankly, it’s likely Adams regains his form sooner rather than later. He’s simply too talented of a player. That won’t make the trade any less of a win for the Jets, though.

New York might not be taking home too many victories, but at least its former disgruntled safety is finally finding a way to help the team’s future.

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Jets fans know better than to believe Texans’ stance on trading Deshaun Watson

The Jets are less than a year removed from navigating a similar drama the Texans are currently dealing with.

Joe Douglas and the Jets can relate to the situation that Nick Caserio and the Texans are currently in.

Jamal Adams made it known that he wanted out of New York last offseason. His relationship with the Jets was beyond repair, and he wanted to play for a team that would give him a lucrative contract extension and a chance to contend. Despite Adams’ assertions, Douglas maintained a hard stance of his own. He wanted to keep the All-Pro safety at One Jets Drive for a long time.

“The plan is for Jamal to be a Jet for life,” Douglas said at the time.

Five months later, Douglas traded Adams to the Seahawks in exchange for a haul that included two first-round draft picks. Keeping Adams was no longer a realistic possibility, and Douglas acted to maximize what the Jets could get in exchange for his services before he gained any sort of leverage.

Like Adams, Deshaun Watson has made it abundantly clear that he wants out of Houston. The 25-year-old formally requested a trade from the Texans weeks ago, making it known that he is intent on never suiting up for the franchise again after weeks of speculation surrounding his future. Caserio took a page out of Douglas’ playbook when addressing the trade request Friday, expressing that the Texans have absolutely no intention to move on from their disgruntled quarterback.

“We want to reiterate our commitment to Deshaun Watson,” Caserio said, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “We have zero interest in trading the player.”

It’s understandable that Caserio doesn’t want to move on from arguably a top-five quarterback who is only at the beginning of his prime. Franchise quarterbacks do not grow on trees and Watson has already led the Texans to a pair of AFC South titles in his four seasons with the team. Houston is a much better team with Watson on the field — that is not up for debate.

With that being said, Jets fans know better than anyone not to believe a word that comes out of Caserio’s mouth when it comes to Watson’s future with the team that drafted him. As much as he would like to keep an elite quarterback on his roster, Caserio is not going to let the situation get to the point where he can no longer net the Texans the best trade package possible. He knows he needs to act before Watson gains any sort of upper hand, which makes it entirely possible that the Clemson product is shipped out of town sooner rather than later.

Caserio is going to do what is best for the Texans. If that means trading one of football’s premier talents, so be it. Moving on from a star player is never something a general manager wants to do, but it is sometimes what needs to be done. Houston’s newly minted general manager can say that he has no plans to trade Watson all he wants, but at the end of the day, his words carry little credence if the player wants out.

Just ask the fanbase that is less than a year removed from navigating a similar drama.

Le’Veon Bell opens up on Jamal Adams: ‘He forced his way out’

Le’Veon Bell opened up to reporters on Wedneday about how Jamal Adams went back on his word and ultimately forced his way out of town.

When Le’Veon Bell spoke with Jamal Adams in July, he was under the impression that Adams wanted to remain in New York if he could get the contract extension that he desired.

Or so he thought.

“I just thought there was a bigger picture,” Bell told reporters Wednesday. “Like, an understanding of what we were trying to do. I’m going to come here, there’s been some losing seasons, we’re going to try to turn things around. This, that and the other.”

Bell was referring to the Adams’ recruitment of the running back two offseasons ago. Adams got Bell to New York, but he left soon after. That left a bad taste in Bell’s mouth.

“It kind of looks like he forced his way out,” Bell added. “I was talking to him and he was telling me he wasn’t going to force his way out.”

Looking back, the Jets’ All-Pro back feels like he was duped by Adams. When Adams eventually forced his way out of town at the end of July, Bell took it rather personally. He felt like he had been lied to considering Adams played a large part in recruiting Bell to sign with the Jets just over a year ago.

“He was a big piece of why I came here in the first place,” Bell said.

By taking shots at every faction of the Jets’ power structure on his way out the door, Adams ensured that the Jets would have no choice but to trade him. The Jets eventually complied, shipping him off to Seattle.

Bell certainly didn’t appreciate how Adams went about his exit, but he did enjoy their one season together in green and white. At the end of the day, Bell doesn’t harbor any ill will toward Adams.

“I love playing with him. He’s a great teammate,” Bell said. “I just — sometimes you don’t like how people handle things.

“I’m not upset with Jamal. I want the best for Jamal. Jamal is a great player. You can’t take away from that. He’s a great, special player on the field and I loved playing with him. He’s a great teammate, too… I want the best for him, and I want him to have a great season.”

Seahawks should be wary of Jamal Adams going back on his word

Jamal Adams has a habit of going back on his words in a hurry. The Seahawks need to be wary of that moving forward.

Jamal Adams is a man of many talents. He is a gamechanger on the field, alpha dog in the locker room and an elite self-promoter.

He also has a habit of saying he wants to spend the rest of his career with whatever team employs him at that moment.

In November, Adams said he wanted to be a “Jet for life.” Despite his public spat with Jets general manager Joe Douglas only a couple of weeks before, there was no reason to believe Adams was not being truthful. New York maintained that it wanted to keep him in town and it seemed like the feeling was mutual — until it wasn’t.

Before long, Adams was openly campaigning for a new contract. Contract demands eventually turned into a trade request, which resulted in a deal that sent the disgruntled All-Pro safety to the Seahawks in exchange for a lucrative haul featuring two first-round draft picks.

Adams now has a new home in Seattle, one that he has apparently already developed an affinity for. Despite being with the Seahawks for less than a week, Adams told reporters on Thursday that he wanted to spend the rest of his career playing in the Emerald City.

“The plan is to retire here,” he said.

Wait a second. Wasn’t Adams’ original plan to retire with the Jets? Wasn’t it his “calling” to play for New York and bring a Lombardi Trophy back to One Jets Drive?

In less than a year’s time, he received a second calling and went from wanting to win a Super Bowl and retire on the east coast to winning one with the Seahawks and retiring on the west coast. That doesn’t sound like someone who is too committed to staying in one place unless the circumstances are picturesque. Or, in this particular case, if the money is right.

Adams can say whatever he wants about staying with the Seahawks for the rest of his career or Seattle being the place for him. At this point, his word is worth little. The last couple of months are prime evidence of that. There is no doubt that the Seahawks landed a player who could take their defense to the next level, but they also added one who has a propensity for throwing past promises out the window.

John Schneider and the rest of Seattle’s front office should keep its head on a swivel with Adams moving forward. One day he could be saying he wants to be a Seahawk for life, the next he could be taking to Twitter or Instagram to bash the organization in an effort to force his way out of town so he can chase top dollar elsewhere.

Will trading for Adams ultimately help Seattle win a Super Bowl? Only time will tell. Either way, the Seahawks need to be wary of what their new superstar safety says. It doesn’t take long for him to go back on the words that come out of his mouth — no matter how flattering they may be.

Nick Mangold mocks Jamal Adams after safety says he plans to retire with Seahawks

Nick Mangold pokes fun at Jamal Adams for saying he wanted to retire a Seahawk.

When Jamal Adams said that his plan was to retire with the Seahawks, the sentiment struck many as familiar. It certainly was to Jets great Nick Mangold, who couldn’t help but mock the quote on Twitter.

Adams spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since the Jets traded him and a 2022 fourth-round pick to Seattle for Bradley McDougald, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick. On his call with Seattle media, Adams said, “the plan is to retire here.”

Mangold’s response? A GIF of The Office character Kevin Malone laughing:

Adams’ comment doesn’t carry much weight because he said the exact same thing in November regarding the Jets. Back then, Christopher Johnson said he wanted Adams on the Jets for the rest of his career. Adams responded to Johnson’s comment by saying he wanted to be a “Jet for life, too.” This was even after Joe Douglas listened to offers for Adams prior to last year’s trade deadline.

However, a lot changed since November. After Douglas said planned on making Adams a “Jet for life” in February, Adams claimed he never received an extension offer from the front office and requested a trade. Douglas said he never promised a contract extension. The Jets had no reason to give Adams an extension because he had two years left on his rookie deal.

Adams spent the offseason ripping the team and its decision-makers on social media and then in the tabloids. He publicly called out Douglas and Adam Gase in a story in the Daily News. Adams also ripped owner Woody Johnson for allegedly making racist and sexist comments. Ultimately, Adams did get his wish and was dealt to Seattle.

Now he’s saying he wants to stay there for the rest of his career. We’ll see about that.

2021 NFL mock draft: How does Jamal Adams trade impact 1st round?

The Jamal Adams trade could have a big impact on the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and early projections are already reflecting that

The blockbuster trade between the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks sent All-Pro safety Jamal Adams from the Big Apple to the Emerald City, and it also had a big impact on future draft considerations for both teams.

The Jets got a pair of first-round picks from the Seahawks in the deal, as well as a third-rounder in next year’s draft.

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft from Bleacher Report reflects what this could do for the Jets in the first round next year, as they now have a pair of first-round picks in the upcoming draft to keep building around quarterback Sam Darnold.

With their original pick, this projection has the Jets landing an elite wide receiver prospect to help Darnold, LSU’s J’Marr Chase. Later in the first round, this mock has the Jets bolstering Darnold’s offensive line with Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis. While there are certainly big needs on defense for the Jets (corner, pass rusher), giving Darnold the supporting cast he needs to succeed should be the Jets’ top priority.

The rest of this mock starts out predictably enough, with the Jacksonville Jaguars taking Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. But a big surprise comes at the No. 3 pick, where the Carolina Panthers opt for North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance over Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who falls to the Detroit Lions at No. 8 overall.

The only other quarterback to crack this top-32 projection is Georgia’s Jamie Newman, who will have to battle fellow transfer JT Daniels for the starting spot this fall if he wants to build himself into a first-round pick next April.

Next year’s running back class will be headlined by a trio of seniors who could have been early picks in the 2020 draft. This mock sends Clemson’s Travis Etienne to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall, and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 29 overall, while Alabama’s Najee’ Harris falls out of the first round.

To check out the full first-round mock at Bleacher Report, click here.

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Jets have ammunition to make run at Yannick Ngakoue following Jamal Adams trade

The Jamal Adams trade positions the Jets to make a competitive trade offer for disgruntled Jaguars pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue

Could Joe Douglas and the Jets use their newfound abundance of draft capital to put together a package to land one of the best pass-rushers in football?

Following the blockbuster trade that sent Jamal Adams to Seattle, New York has enough ammunition to make a major splash on the trade market if it wishes to do so. Douglas’ affinity for building through the draft is well-documented, but with a boatload of picks at his disposal, it might not be a bad idea to swap some of those selections in exchange for a talent that can change Gang Green’s defense for the better.

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has made it abundantly clear that he wants out of Jacksonville. In March, he took to Twitter to request a trade. One month later, he got into a social media spat with Tony Khan, the team owner’s son, that ended with the former Pro Bowler reiterating his desire to be dealt. Now Ngakoue, who has yet to sign his franchise tag tender, will not report to Jacksonville for training camp.

Much like the stance the Jets took when it came to trading Adams, the Jaguars do not plan on moving Ngakoue until they are presented with an offer to their liking. It took a while for a deal for Adams to materialize, but the Seahawks swooped in with an offer that was too good to refuse — two first-round picks in 2021 and 2022, a 2021 third-round pick and starting safety Bradley McDougald. New York now has the ability to send a similar kind of offer Jacksonville’s way.

Four first-round picks in the next two years gives Douglas a lot of wiggle room moving forward. Even if he trades one of New York’s first-round selections, he will still be left with premium first-round draft capital to work with in consecutive NFL drafts. That gives him enough picks to build the team how he sees fit while also bringing in a pass-rusher that can plug the hole left by John Abraham’s departure 15 years ago.

The obvious elephant in the room when it comes to the idea of trading for Ngakoue is his contract situation. Wherever he plays in 2020, Ngakoue will be working on a one-year, $17.8 million deal as a result of Jacksonville franchise tagging him. Would the Jets want to pay him what he thinks he is worth right after sending Adams away because they were not willing to meet his contract demands?

The difference between Adams and Ngakoue is where they line up on the field. Yes, Adams is arguably the best safety in football and was a gamechanger for the Jets, but safety is not a premium position. The highest-paid safety in the NFL right now is Chicago’s Eddie Jackson, who makes $14.6 million per year. Adams, however, was said to want significantly more than that, something he was never going to sniff with the Jets because of the position he plays.

Ngakoue, meanwhile, plays a position where lucrative salaries are the norm. The highest-paid pass-rusher in football is Khalil Mack, who earns $23.5 million per year. DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark also make upwards of $20 million per year. Overall, there are 15 other pass-rushers (Ngakoue included) that make more than the highest-paid safety in the league.

In other words, pass-rushers make the big bucks. Safeties typically don’t. If the Jets are going to shell out a lucrative sum for a defender, it would be for a defensive end or outside linebacker.

Douglas claims he is not punting the 2020 season. How can he prove that? Trading for a player who is only 25 and has 37.5 sacks to go along with 85 quarterback hits in his first four seasons is a good place to start. Ngakoue would not only give Gregg Williams’ a much-needed boost after losing a superstar. He would bring some juice back to One Jets Drive and reaffirm that Douglas is 100 percent committed to getting the team turned around sooner rather than later.

In order to achieve that, Douglas is going to have to push the envelope, part with a couple of draft picks and spend some money. Trading and re-signing Ngakoue is the kind of move that allows him to lock up an elite pass-rusher and focus on addressing other pertinent needs in the draft. Considering the current state of New York’s roster, that is the definition of a win-win scenario.