The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with superstar safety Jamal Adams amid a wave of cuts after hiring Mike Macdonald as their new head coach ahead of the 2024 season.
Adams, who signed a $70.5 million contract with the Seahawks ahead of the 2021 season, turned out to be one of the most polarizing players in Seattle. While most fans were happy to see him gone, Seahawks general manager didn’t slam the door on a possible return, even suggesting he take on a new role as a linebacker.
The three-time Pro Bowler ultimately moved on to sign a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. However, the Titans released Adams after just three games.
GettyFormer Seahawks safety Jamal Adams at Lumen Field on November 12, 2023.
The veteran moved on to sign with the Detroit Lions, but the team released him after the 2024 season ended. In May, Adams floated the idea of returning to the New York Jets, the team that drafted him No. 6 overall in the 2017 NFL draft.
“I would love to be back with the Jets and, obviously, finish it the right way,” Adams said during an appearance on The Jets Lounge. “Man, that would be a dream come true, just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it right.”
While rumors swirled that 29-year-old may retire if he didn’t find a new home in the NFL, Adams will now reunite with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas.
Jamal Adams Is Signing With the Las Vegas Raiders
NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news that Adams is signing with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, July 22. Schultz posted, “Reunited with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, I’m told Adams is in excellent shape and the healthiest he’s been in years.”
If Adams is fully healthy, which has been an issue for the veteran safety since 2019, he could be a low-risk, high reward addition who has a legitimate shot at making the 53-man roster. While battling through injuries last season, he appeared in five games (two starts), registering a total of seven tackles.
It won’t be long until Adams sees the Seahawks on the field, as Seattle hosts the Raiders in the first preseason game on August 7.
Seahawks GM John Schneider Defended the Blockbuster Trade to Land Jamal Adams
GettySeahawks safety Jamal Adams at MetLife Stadium on October 2, 2023.
Between Adams’ struggling performance and questionable off-the-field antics, many fans consider the 2020 blockbuster trade that brought the LSU alum to Seattle one of the worst deals in franchise history.
The Seahawk gave up two first-rounders, a third-round pick, and safety Bradley McDougald in exchange for Adams and a 2022 fourth-rounder from the Jets.
“Yeah, I’m getting a little tired of the (narrative). The trade portion, too,” Schneider told Seattle Sports last March. “Because, you know, it was a COVID year, we were picking 20-whatever and in order to go from wherever we were at 20 to get up to pick a guy like Jamal who was picked in the top five, you gotta give up another first-round pick the next year.
“He came in here, our coaches did a great job with him. He had 9.5 sacks, goes to the Pro Bowl, completely disruptive. Comes back the next year, he’s having a good season, gets hurt. Then he gets hurt again – a really, really bad injury. I feel bad for him.”
After suffering a season-ending quadriceps tear in Week 1 of the 2022 season, Adams went down with a head injury in his first game back in 2023 (Week 4). He refused to exit for further evaluation, and his outburst toward the league’s independent concussion doctor went viral.
After a lingering injury returned in the back half of the season, he stopped showing up for the Seahawks’ matchups. Adams appeared in 9 games in 2023, earning a 54.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He registered 48 total tackles, 2 passes defensed, and 1 quarterback hit.
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