NY Jets' Jamal Adams trade named 'worst of the decade'
By Kristen Wong
It's two weeks until Christmas in 2021, and the Jamal Adams trade is the gift that keeps on giving. The NY Jets have profited the most from what some have called the worst trade of the decade.
In July of 2020, the Jets traded a disgruntled Adams and a 2022 fourth round-pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for safety Bradley McDougald, a first and third-round pick in 2021, and a 2022 first-round pick.
17 months later, Jamal Adams has not been the elite safety the Seattle Seahawks wanted. Adams is, however, getting paid like one, which makes this trade that much worse for Seattle.
Adams is currently the highest-paid safety in the NFL in terms of annual value, but looking at his numbers, no one would think so.
The fifth-year safety landed in Bleacher Report's "Worst NFL Trades of the Past Decade" where writer Kristopher Knox outlined all the ways the Adams trade turned out to be a huge disappointment to Seattle.
"Perhaps Seattle couldn't foresee the quarterback drama, but parting with future draft picks is always a gamble. That gamble isn't quite paying off, as Adams was good (two interceptions, 87 tackles) but not great (no sacks or forced fumbles) in his second Seahawks campaign...Pete Carroll recently told Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio that he views the Adams trade as 'terrific,' but the reality is that Seattle's returns have been underwhelming."
- Kristopher Knox
As Knox alludes to, the Russell Wilson trade drama in Seattle hasn't been buried just yet, adding to the Seahawks 2021 woes.
NY Jets have reaped the most rewards from Jamal Adams trade to Seattle
Seattle gave the Jets a 2022 top-five draft pick in return for Adams, and if Wilson does end up leaving Seattle this offseason, the team will have to essentially enforce a complete rebuild of their franchise.
That's only part of the bad news. The worst of it is how poorly Adams has been playing in his first two years in Seattle.
The three-time Pro Bowler notched 9.5 sacks in 2020, but he's recorded just two interceptions and one forced fumble since joining his new team. As the league's highest paid safety, he's not anywhere near top-tier production levels.
Adams has been lackluster in coverage, allowing an opposing passer rating of 104.7 in 2020 and 93.8 in 2021, and he's also had to miss nine games in the last two seasons due to injury.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll reportedly called the Adams trade "terrific," but Carroll may just be trying to save face instead of owning up to an all-around disastrous decision on the part of the organization.
In the last two years, the Jets' front office can be proud of the following, in no particular order: getting rid of Adam Gase, adding what looks to be a promising 2021 rookie class, and completely fleecing the Seahawks by trading Jamal Adams.
Between the Gase firing and Adams trade, it's hard to pick which one makes Jets fans happier.