National Football League

Jets Ship Adams to Seahawks

Updated Jul. 26, 2020 1:14 p.m. ET

The New York Jets dealt superstar safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, putting an end to Adams' rocky tenure with the franchise.

The trade comes one day after the New York Daily News published a story detailing how Adams and the Jets' relationship had deteriorated over the past seven months, due to Adams' lack of trust with the franchise and the status of contract negotiations.

Adams himself quote tweeted the article, calling it "the real story" behind his trade demands.

Adams is coming off of a 2019 season where he recorded 7 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception, and scored 2 defensive touchdowns, en route to being named First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2019.

Selected by the Jets with the 6th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Adams is widely regarded as the best safety in the NFL, ranking No. 1 in a poll of NFL executives conducted by ESPN this offseason. In fact, one executive called him the second-best defensive player in football, behind the Rams' Aaron Donald.

But Adams made it known after this season that was he unhappy with the structure of his contract, officially requesting a trade last month.

He was scheduled to make $10.7 million over the next two years on his rookie deal, including $3.5 million for the 2020 season.

There are 27 safeties scheduled to make at least $5 million this year, with the Chicago Bears' Eddie Jackson the highest-paid at $14.6 million.

Adams' frustration with his current deal was highlighted by a comment on an Instagram post last month in which he said, "Maybe it's time to move on!"

Along with his trade request, Adams also provided a list of teams to which he would welcome a move, including the Seahawks.

Now, Adams has gotten his wish, landing with a Seattle team that finished last season 11-5 and lost in the NFC Divisional Round to the Green Bay Packers.

FOX NFL analyst Mark Schlereth weighed in on the trade, explaining that Adams took the right approach in forcing his way out of New York.

"Jamal Adams is the latest example of players in today’s game getting around the rookie wage scale, and I love it. ... Two first rounders and a good player in McDougald is a heavy price to pay, but Adams is a perfect fit in the Pete Carroll defense and will take over the Earl Thomas role."

At the same time, the Jets receive two first round picks in return, a rare haul when it comes to NFL trades, as Peter Schrager points out.

And for better or for worse, the Jets trading away a first round draft pick is nothing new for the franchise of late.

While the Jets might be parting ways with the best player on their roster and their most successful draft pick in recent memory, there are silver linings for the franchise, according to Colin Cowherd.

Upon announcement of the trade, Jets star running back Le'Veon Bell, who's no stranger to contentious contract negotiations, also shared his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Seahawks franchise quarterback Russell Wilson appears thrilled to welcome Adams into the fold.

Yet Chargers Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris seems to believe the Jets got the better end of the deal, pointing out that Bradley McDougald (70 total tackles and 2 INTs in 2019) is a solid acquisition for New York.

Although it's obviously too soon to know definitively who won the trade, NFL on FOX fans tended to lean toward the Jets' haul over the Seahawks' defensive addition, as well.

What do you think? Let us know!

This is a developing story.