Jamal Adams

Seahawks Dug In On Jamal Adams Offer

August 12th, 2021 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two-plus weeks into training camp, Jamal Adams remains an unsigned spectator at Seahawks practice. The two sides have been negotiating, but the talks have not moved in a bit. More clarity has emerged on this situation.

The Seahawks have offered Adams a four-year, $70MM deal, according to Adam Jude and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who add that this extension would include $38MM guaranteed. This offer satisfies the team’s desire to keep Bobby Wagner as its highest-paid defender while making Adams the NFL’s highest-paid safety by more than $2MM per year, but it has not moved the fifth-year safety to sign.

Adams’ camp and the team were part by $4MM per year coming into training camp, per Jude and Condotta, but progress emerged last week that brought this saga close to a compromise. This $17.5MM AAV looks to have satisfied Adams, but his side countered with a proposal that included $40MM guaranteed and bonus money paid out in the deal’s first three years. The team wants Adams’ bonus divvied out over the length of the four-year contract. While bending on these two issues would not seem a major ask of the Seahawks, they are not budging.

No negotiations have taken place since Friday, according to the Seattle Times. Since acquiring the former Jets top-10 pick last summer, the Seahawks had pinpointed this time window to extend Adams. But the process has hit a snag. Both Adams and left tackle Duane Brown are staging hold-ins ahead of contract-year seasons. Pete Carroll has yet to confirm contract talks are ongoing with Brown, with the Seahawks devoting their extension attention to Adams at this point. But this has proven to be a difficult task to check off.

Landon Collins‘ 2019 extension leads the safety position with $44MM guaranteed. That includes injury guarantees. No safety has been guaranteed more than $32.1MM at signing, with the Broncos’ Justin Simmons leading the way there ($32.1MM) and in AAV ($15.25MM). Adams has sought a deal well north of Simmons’ pact, while the Seahawks have stuck to a price range. If the sides have bridged that gap, a deal should not be too far away. However, both parties are evidently willing to wait for the other to blink at this point.

Seahawks May Not Want To Give Duane Brown New Deal; Jamal Adams Negotiations Stalled

August 10th, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Parks

As you probably know by now, Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown and safety Jamal Adams are seeking new contracts and are “holding in” in an effort to make that a reality. Recently, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll described the Adams negotiations as “amicable” but refused to comment on the Brown situation, which suggested that the club may not be willing to extend Russell Wilson’s blindside protector.

Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (video link) confirmed that it’s unclear if the Seahawks want to give Brown a new contract. Though Brown did play every game for Seattle last year and has finished as a PFF top-25 tackle in each of his four Seahawks slates, he will turn 36 at the end of this month and has battled knee issues in recent seasons. As Henderson observes, Brown barely practiced at all last year as the team sought to manage his knee problems.

Couple that with the fact that the third contracts the Seahawks have given out to veteran players — a new deal for Brown would actually represent his fourth NFL contract — have not been terribly successful, and it’s easier to understand why the team is a bit reluctant to extend Brown.

That is despite Wilson stumping for his LT. Wilson, who was quite outspoken on his desire for improved pass protection earlier this year, said, “[Brown] looks like he’s 28-30 out there. He’s really exceptional. So smart and physical, understands the game, and I think people fear him, to be honest with you, when they’re rushing him and playing against him. So we definitely want to be able to get him back out there. We’ve got to figure that out because we need Duane Brown” (via Henderson).

And amicable or not, the negotiations between the Seahawks and Adams are at a standstill. Adam Jude and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times report that, although the two sides were close to an accord last week, talks have stalled due to disagreements over contract structure and guaranteed money. Jude and Condotta say player and team are presently entrenched in their respective positions, and Peter King of NBC Sports says the club has stretched itself about as far as it’s willing to go.

Wilson, meanwhile, is willing to restructure his deal to facilitate new agreements for Adams and Brown, according to the Seattle Times scribes. Such a restructure would simply see Wilson convert some of his base salary into a signing bonus that can be spread out over the life of his contract, so it’s not as if the QB is making any concessions here.

In this instance, the Seahawks would rather not take Wilson up on his offer. Spreading out Wilson’s cap hit over the 2022-23 campaigns would increase his franchise tag number for 2024, and therefore increase the starting point in contract negotiations when the time comes. Seattle has $8.3MM of cap space at the moment, and extensions for Adams and/or Brown could decrease their cap charges for 2021, so the club may not need to restructure anyone else’s deal to enter into long-term accords with its Pro Bowl safety and LT.

Latest On Seahawks’ Jamal Adams, Duane Brown Plans

August 8th, 2021 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of the Seahawks’ best players are not participating in training camp. Both Jamal Adams and Duane Brown are staging hold-ins, being at Seahawks practices but not working out. The team continues to discuss an extension with Adams, and that appears to be holding up matters on the Brown front.

The perception around Seahawks camp points to the team prioritizing an Adams extension before addressing Brown’s situation, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. While both sides expressed optimism an Adams deal could happen this week, the All-Pro safety remains unsigned going into the third week of Seattle’s training camp.

Interestingly, Pete Carroll called the Adams negotiations “amicable,” but refused to comment on Brown’s situation. Seattle’s 35-year-old left tackle is going into the final year of his contract. His desire for another Seahawks extension has been known for months, but a recent report brought that issue back to the forefront. Brown, 35, is set to earn $10MM in base salary this season. While he will not be a candidate to exceed Trent Williams‘ market-topping extension, Brown has stabilized the Seahawks’ left tackle position and would make sense as a short- or medium-length extension candidate.

Unlike Adams, Brown will play in a new scheme this season. The Seahawks still have Ken Norton Jr. in place as their defensive coordinator, but Shane Waldron is now running the team’s offense. Having Brown back soon would help the Seahawks, whose offensive line drew scrutiny from Russell Wilson this offseason. Regarding Brown’s contract, Wilson said Sunday the team has “got to figure that out,” via Condotta (on Twitter). Wilson’s endorsement here certainly helps Brown’s pursuit.

Neither Brown nor Adams participated in Seattle’s minicamp or training camp. Carroll added Brown will also not play in any of the Seahawks’ preseason games, Condotta tweets. Adams is also recovering from offseason surgery on his hands and one shoulder, per Carroll, who said the fifth-year defender likely would not done too much by this stage of camp anyway.

The Seahawks are on board with making Adams the NFL’s highest-paid safety, but they are aiming to keep Bobby Wagner‘s $18MM-per-year deal as their top defensive contract. This creates a range between that and Justin Simmons‘ $15.25MM-AAV Broncos pact, which currently tops all safeties. Adams is seeking an extension well north of Simmons’; this goal has likely caused the delay in the Seahawks finalizing an extension. Adams is attached to a $9.86MM fifth-year option. While the Seahawks have their 2022 franchise tag to use on Adams, Condotta adds the team began planning a summer 2021 extension upon acquiring the All-Pro safety last year.

Jamal Adams, Seahawks Not ‘Close At All’ On Extension, Adams Expected To Report To Camp

July 26th, 2021 at 6:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just a few days ago, we heard that while the Seahawks were expected to give Jamal Adams a deal that would make him the highest-paid safety in the game (eclipsing Justin Simmons‘ $15.25MM AAV), they didn’t want to go north of Bobby Wagner‘s $18MM AAV.

That seemed to create an estimated range for Adams’ new contract, but that doesn’t mean the star safety is on board with that. The two sides are in fact not “close at all” on extension terms, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Reporting from earlier this offseason indicated that Adams doesn’t view himself as only a safety, and as such doesn’t want to be confined by the current safety market.

Instead, he wants to be categorized in a unique hybrid market of his own, given his unique positional flexibility. With the historic pass-rushing numbers he’s put up for a defensive back, his feelings are understandable. Adams is viewed as having most of the leverage here due to the fact that Seattle gave up two first-round picks to acquire him from the Jets.

On the other hand he’s due a modest $9.86MM this season, and the Seahawks could always franchise tag him next offseason. Accordingly, an extension still seems likely in the near future. It doesn’t sound like the slow pace of negotiations has created a toxic relationship, as Rapoport said that he doesn’t “expect any issues at all with Adams showing up” to training camp.

The expectation is that Adams will show up for camp on time regardless of the status of contract talks, Rapoport reports. Rapsheet also adds that he still expects a deal to get done one way or the other. “Eventually, this will be a deal that I think both sides will be happy with and Jamal Adams will likely be a very, very rich man.”

Latest On Seahawks’ Jamal Adams Extension Plans

July 23rd, 2021 at 7:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks appear ready to make Jamal Adams the NFL’s highest-paid safety, but they may not be planning to create a new tier for safety contracts.

Adams and the Seahawks have been expected to come to terms on a record-setting safety extension, meaning a deal worth north of Justin Simmons‘ $15.25MM-per-year contract. But Seattle does not want to move Adams beyond Bobby Wagner‘s $18MM-AAV deal, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). This would appear to create a range for Adams’ next contract.

The All-Pro defender frequently plays alongside Wagner in the box, having become a historically productive pass rusher at the safety position, but a deal worth more than Wagner’s would completely reset the safety market and give the Seahawks three players earning at least $18MM annually. Adams also is coming off a so-so coverage season, per Pro Football Focus. The Seahawks want their 25-year-old chess piece to be their third-highest-paid player, behind Russell Wilson and Wagner, but the former Jets standout has hoped to avoid being constrained by the other top contracts at the safety position.

Seattle traded two first-rounders and change for Adams, giving him a Khalil Mack– or Laremy Tunsil-type negotiating position. While Mack’s 2018 Bears extension raised the bar for pass rushers by $1MM annually, from Aaron Donald‘s then-record place, Tunsil’s 2020 Texans accord created a new tier for left tackle pacts. The Seahawks would clearly prefer the Mack route here, though the Rams may have laid the groundwork for a compromise. After dealing two first-rounders for Jalen Ramsey, the Rams made him the NFL’s highest-paid corner — by $2.75MM per year — last September. The Seahawks may be prepared to let Adams’ next contract create similar AAV distance from the current top earners at his position.

Beyond an extension that locks up Adams long-term, the Seahawks have the option of the franchise tag in 2022. Adams, who is set to make $9.86MM on the fifth-year option this season, has sought a long-term deal since becoming extension-eligible in 2020. Contract talks with the Jets led him out of New York, and that trade has left Seattle without a first-round pick until 2023.

Given the leverage this trade provided Adams, it will be interesting to see how this process concludes. The Mack, Tunsil and Ramsey extensions point to Adams becoming the NFL’s highest-paid safety, and he could push that number near $20MM per year.

Latest On Seahawks, Jamal Adams

July 11th, 2021 at 5:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It was reported almost a month ago that a Jamal Adams extension with the Seahawks could be imminent, and that something was likely to get done around the start of training camp. That apparently might not longer be the case.

Negotiations between Adams’ camp and the Seahawks have been “slow-going”, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on SportsCenter recently, via Corbin K. Smith of SI.com. Fowler said that it’s “a situation that could bleed through training camp, even possibly close to Week 1,” according to NBC Sports Edge. Adams is apparently “willing to bet on himself,” and Seattle understands that.

We heard recently that Adams wasn’t just looking to become the league’s highest-paid safety, he was looking to enter a tier of his own. The sixth overall pick of the 2017 draft reportedly wants to be treated like his own unique position and not be grouped in with other safeties on the market.

Given his historic pass-rushing production from the safety position, it’s understandable. Meanwhile, John Clayton of 710 ESPN Seattle writes that it’s “pretty clear” the two sides “are not close to a contract extension.” Clayton thinks Adams’ deal “should come in” around $16MM a year, but that if he wants $17-18MM, that “would be a problem for the Seahawks.”

The former LSU and Jets star has some leverage here, since the Seahawks gave up two first-round picks to trade for him last July. It would be a very bad look for the franchise if they weren’t able to lock him up long-term. With training camp rapidly approaching, we should hear a lot more soon.

NFC Rumors: Giants, Saints, Adams, Bears

July 10th, 2021 at 8:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Part of 2019’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade, Jabrill Peppers is going into his fifth-year option season. However, the Giants‘ three-year, $31MM extension for Logan Ryan back in December may well have signaled they are OK moving on from the former first-round pick after this season, Dan Duggan of The Athletic writes (subscriptio n required). The Giants signed Ryan shortly after Xavier McKinney suffered a broken foot and extended him toward the end of the year. By season’s end, the team had Ryan, Peppers and McKinney available. Ryan and McKinney are signed through 2023, though Ryan has no guarantees beyond this year. While Peppers (25 starts as a Giant) would attract interest as a 2022 free agent, his role and performance this season will go a long way toward determining his long-term value.

Of the players that changed teams in that 2019 deal, Peppers, Beckham and Dexter Lawrence — the first-round pick the Browns sent to the Giants — remain with their teams. Kevin Zeitler and Olivier Vernon are not. With Beckham’s long-term status in Cleveland uncertain and Peppers in a contract year, Lawrence may be the only holdover from this trade come 2022. Here is the latest from the NFC:

Despite Lorenzo Carter going down with an Achilles tear in October, the Giants are prepared to reinstall him as a starter, Duggan notes. Carter returned for the Giants’ offseason program. The former third-round pick out of Georgia has 9.5 career sacks and, like Peppers, is entering a contract year. The Giants have not been especially aggressive at outside linebacker during Dave Gettleman‘s GM tenure, but they did use a second-round choice this year on USC’s Azeez Ojulari. He, 2019 third-rounder Oshane Ximines and fourth-round rookie Elerson Smith are in the mix to start opposite Carter, per Duggan. The Giants added veterans Ryan Anderson and Ifeadi Odenigbo as well, but they appear to be competing for rotational work.
Marcus Williams is one of this year’s seven remaining franchise-tagged players. The Saints surprised most when they created cap space to tag the talented safety, but if they cannot complete an extension by July 15, they should not be expected to entertain a second tag in 2022, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes. Marshon Lattimore playing this season on his fifth-year option would make him a higher-priority free agent come March, and whoever wins New Orleans’ quarterback job — set to be a Jameis Winston–Taysom Hill competition — could fall into the 2022 tag mix as well.
One factor complicating the Seahawks‘ Jamal Adams talks: the Pro Bowl safety wanting not only to become the highest-paid player at the position but seeking to end up on his own financial tier. Adams does not want to be viewed as a pure safety, and thus be confined to the position’s salary range, Corry adds. Adams does not rate as a top-tier coverage safety, but he is a historically productive pass rusher for the position and is used in myriad capacities. With Seattle having traded two first-rounders for him, a deal is expected to come to fruition soon.
The Bears made a couple of changes to their scouting staff. They promoted Jeff King to the pro scouting director post. King joined the team as a pro scout in 2016. The former NFL tight end interviewed for the Panthers’ assistant GM job in May. Chicago also promoted Sam Summerville from area scout to national scout. The Fritz Pollard Alliance named Summerville, a Bears scout since 2012, as its NFC scout of the year in 2019.

Seahawks’ Jamal Adams Deal Imminent?

June 18th, 2021 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jamal Adams minicamp holdout has not produced reports of acrimony between he and the Seahawks. The Seahawks excused Adams’ absence from minicamp, and Pete Carroll described his extension talks as amicable.

An agreement may be on the immediate horizon. All signs are pointing to an extension being finalized around the start of training camp, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Adams is going into a contract year; he is set to earn $9.86MM on the fifth-year option.

Given what Seattle traded to acquire Adams — 2021 and ’22 first-round picks, a ’21 third and safety Bradley McDougald — it can be easily assumed the impending extension will make him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. Justin Simmons currently holds that distinction, after signing a four-year Broncos deal worth $61MM. Adams will surely try to move the price north by a notable margin.

The Seahawks have authorized top-market extensions before, giving Russell Wilson a then-NFL-record $35MM-per-year deal in April 2019 and extending Bobby Wagner at the current off-ball linebacker high-water mark ($18MM AAV). They appear poised to include Adams in this blueprint. Wagner signed his current deal around the start of Seattle’s 2019 training camp and agreed to his 2015 extension in early August of that year. Wilson’s first extension (in 2015) occurred days before Wagner’s.

The Seahawks also might create a bit more cap space ahead of an Adams deal, with Carroll also signaling the team’s interest in keeping Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown beyond his 2021 contract year.

Adams thrives as a box safety and set a position record with 9.5 sacks last season. This unique skill set, while leaving some coverage skills to be desired, figures to factor into the 25-year-old defender’s negotiations. The former Jets top-10 pick began extension discussions way back in January 2020, when he was still a Jet, but talks paused and the Jets traded him to Seattle. The Seahawks communicated to Adams a preference he play on his rookie deal last season. Adams did so and made his third straight Pro Bowl. His second NFL team looks set to reward him.

Seahawks Confident On Jamal Adams Deal

June 15th, 2021 at 9:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Angling for a new contract for the second straight offseason, Jamal Adams is staying away from Seahawks minicamp. But the team has excused Adams’ absence, stopping any fines from piling up.

Pete Carroll confirmed Adams contract talks have begun, but ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson reports these negotiations have not produced much movement yet. The team nevertheless remains confident a deal will be finalized.

“It’s been ongoing and it’s been amicable throughout,” Carroll said of the Adams extension talks. “We recognize that he’s a fantastic football player and we’re in the midst of, it’s a big contract process. But I know he knows he’s been treated with a lot of respect and he’s been very respectful towards the club as well. They’ve been good talks. It just hasn’t been able to get settled at this point, but it’s coming.”

Carroll stopped short of saying he expects an extension to be completed by the start of training camp, but after the Seahawks traded two first-round picks for Adams, it is fairly clear they view him as a part of their future. Carroll expects Adams to show for training camp. The 2020 CBA made holdouts more difficult to wage, so Adams will face significant financial penalties were he to remain away from the team during training camp.

The Seahawks informed Adams they did not intend to complete an extension last year, with Henderson adding the uncertainty regarding the 2021 salary cap factored into the former top-10 pick playing out the fourth year of his rookie deal (at $3.59MM) last season. Now tied to the fifth-year option, Adams is set to earn $9.86MM this season.

Broncos star Justin Simmons stands as the league’s highest-paid safety at $15.25MM per year, setting that new high-water mark earlier this year. Meanwhile, Landon Collins leads all safeties in full guarantees at $44.5MM. Despite Adams doing his best work in the box, he is a three-time Pro Bowler who is one of the best at his position. It will likely take a new safety-record deal for the Seahawks to lock in the 25-year-old standout long-term, given his lengthy quest for a second contract. Should the Seahawks fail to hammer out an agreement with Adams this year, they will have the franchise tag at their disposal come March.

Seahawks Excuse Jamal Adams’ Absence

June 15th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have excused safety Jamal Adams from this week’s mandatory minicamp for personal reasons, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Initially, his absence was believed to be contract-related, but that’s not quite the case.

As a result, Adams will not be fined ~$290K for skipping the three-day minicamp. Still, the two sides still have some contract matters to hash out. Adams is currently playing on his fifth-year option, which means $9.86MM for the 2021 season. Meanwhile, he wants a new multi-year contract to position him as the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

That’s been Adams’ stance for several years, dating back to his time with the Jets. Desperate to get away from Gang Green, Adams agreed to table talks until a later date. With one year to go at a below-market rate, the future is now. But, on the plus side, Adams’ non-participation does not seem to be the start of a holdout.

The advanced metrics knocked Adams for his coverage and run D last year, but he was still a force with 9.5 sacks in just 12 games. The multiple-time Pro Bowler — 26 in October — was rock solid before last year’s injury-filled season. Between 2018 and 2019, only Vikings standout Anthony Harris graded out higher than Adams at safety, according to Pro Football Focus. Eddie Jackson (Bears) was No. 3 on the list, and he currently stands as one of the league’s top-paid safeties.

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