NY Jets: 3 winners of the Jamal Adams trade with the Seahawks

The NY Jets’ blockbuster trade of star safety Jamal Adams produced a few winners.

The NY Jets made headlines on Saturday when they agreed to send star safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks for a massive haul including two first-round picks.

It was a haul that few expected the Jets to be able to get, but one they managed to land regardless.

And now that the dust has settled a little, we can take some time to analyze the trade. Who came away sitting pretty? Who might be negatively affected by the deal? What does this mean for the future of both franchises?

All of those questions will be discussed at length over the next few days. But for now, we’ll simply be focusing on those who emerged as the true winners of this blockbuster trade.

This distinction could come as a direct result of the trade or as an indirect consequence. Either way, they will be the ones who either benefit the most or look the best coming out of this momentous transaction.

As with any trade, the output is seldom equal. Typically one side gets the better end of the deal — whether that’s referring to a team or player perspective. But in this case, we might be looking at a rare instance of a win-win swap.

The Jets got more draft capital than anyone could have anticipated. Jamal Adams’ wishes were granted and he was sent packing. And the Seahawks got a top-tier superstar who could hopefully establish them as true Super Bowl contenders.

Everyone wins — but some win more than others.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest winners of the Jamal Adams trade.

Next: 3. Jamal Adams

3. Jamal Adams

Jamal Adams got what he wanted. After months of kicking and screaming, trying to force his way out of New York, the Jets handed Adams a one-way ticket to Seattle.

He may not be playing for his beloved hometown Dallas Cowboys next season, but it’s hard to imagine a better fit for Adams than the Seahawks.

Adams will fit in perfectly with Seattle’s hard-nosed defense and will look to craft a “Legion of Boom 2.0” of sorts alongside talented defensive backs such as Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers, and Quandre Diggs.

And with the Seahawks, Adams will be asked to do what he does best. With Seattle desperate for pass-rush help following the loss of Jadeveon Clowney, it’s very likely the team will use Adams in a similar role to how the Jets used him.

Adams will have the opportunity to thrive around the line of scrimmage similarly to how he did under Gregg Williams. Realistically, he’s likely the Seahawks’ best pass-rusher from day one.

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Not only did Adams get exactly what he wanted — that being a trade — but he lands with an organization that arguably has the best culture in football and is a perfect schematic fit for his skill set.

If Adams wasn’t going to end up in Dallas, Seattle was the next-best landing spot. In fact, you could even argue that the Seahawks should have been Adams’ preferred destination all along.

The Jets may have gotten what they wanted, but so too did Adams.

Next: 2. Joe Douglas

2. NY Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas

Say what you want about Joe Douglas, the man sticks to his guns.

Reports ran rampant in the weeks leading up to the trade that Douglas and the Jets weren’t exactly in any hurry to move Adams. It would have taken an offer that blew him away for him to even consider making a trade.

And at the end of the day, that’s exactly what happened.

Despite most expecting the Jets to receive no more than a first-round pick and a player/mid-round pick in exchange for Adams, Douglas managed to receive a haul more substantial than most trades in recent NFL history.

The Jets ended up with two first-round picks, a veteran replacement in Bradley McDougald, and the better end of a mid-round swap. But perhaps the best way to explain just how incredible this haul is would be to use comparisons.

The Jets got more for Jamal Adams than the Raiders got for Khalil Mack. They got more for Adams than the Jaguars got for Jalen Ramsey. And they certainly got more for Adams than the Texans got for DeAndre Hopkins.

Adams is a phenomenal player, but he’s not as valuable as any of those three players. All three were arguably the best at their position when they were traded and they each play much more valuable positions.

Simply put, the haul Douglas got for Adams is unprecedented — especially considering the circumstances surrounding the trade.

Joe Douglas has been receiving plenty of praise since the trade occurred and there’s no doubt that he’s deserving of all of it.

Next: 1. The NY Jets organization

1. The NY Jets organization

In the end, both Adams and Douglas got what they wanted and came away as winners. Adams found a new home on a more competitive team while Douglas made his first major move as a general manager, and has been near-universally praised for it.

But while Adams and Douglas will certainly relish in their own individual successes, no entity comes away as a bigger winner than the NY Jets’ organization.

Given everything that went down this offseason, there was never going to be an easy way out of the Jamal Adams situation. The relationship seemed irreparable leaving the Jets with no choice but to entertain offers.

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But no one, absolutely no one, expected them to receive the trade package that they got. And yet, they did. As a result, there is no team with more valuable draft capital over the next two years than the Jets.

Gang Green now has two first-round picks in each of the next two years plus an extra third-rounder in the 2021 NFL Draft. And for a team with plenty of holes still on the roster, that should be music to Jets fans ears.

Of course, the team needs to hit on those picks. But the Jets now have the necessary ammunition to plug up the holes on the roster and continue constructing their young core.

The Jets have set themselves up for future success. They have long-term financial flexibility, an absurd amount of draft capital, and a defense that remains solid even without its best player.

Does losing Adams hurt? Absolutely, there’s no question about it.

But this was the absolute best-case scenario. And as such, the Jets are the biggest winners of Saturday’s star-studded trade.