Jamal Adams was overwhelmed with uncertainty last weekend, unsure of which team he would report to from NFL training camps about to open. After months of dispute with the New York Jets over his contract and speculation about potential trades, his family could see the stress on his face.
After a long day on Friday, he slept the next morning and woke up to five missed calls from his agent, who was trying to inform him that a deal to send him to the Seattle Seahawks was underway.
The successful NFL offseason trade was finalized hours later.
“When I got the call, I honestly broke down in tears of joy,” Adams said Thursday. “Lots of mixed emotions. I’m gonna miss a lot of guys there. But at the end of the day, man, that was my calling. That’s where I need to be.”
If it wasn’t clear on Saturday when the All-Pro security took a victory lap on Twitter and danced with a cigar in his mouth on Instagram Live, it was during his introductory video conference: Adams is thrilled to be a Seahawk. He said so many times in his opening comments to members of the Seattle-area media.
The Seahawks have inherited the last two years of Adams’ rookie contract, and while the massive draft pick transport they gave up to acquire him leaves no doubt they want him beyond that, sources told ESPN they weren’t planning to give it to him. an extension in 2020.
Adams, 24, first hijacked a question about his future, then said he could “absolutely” see himself in Seattle in the long term.
“The plan is to retire here,” he said. “It’s my plan. But obviously these things take care of themselves. When all you have to do is just get out on the pitch and play, do the right things on and off the pitch. pitch, and those things will take care of themselves, man. So I’m very excited to be here. I know the rest of the guys are so excited to have me, and the coaching staff, and all. world. So again, man, we’ll care when the time comes. “
Adams called the Seahawks a first-class organization, citing this as the reason he included them on his list of seven desired business destinations when he asked New York City last month. He called it surreal to play under the “legendary coaches” in Seattle and alongside “Hall of Famers” like Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.
The prize to get it included first-round picks in each of the next two draft plus a 2021 third round and starting goalie Bradley McDougald. Seattle got the Jets’ fourth-round pick in 2022 with Adams. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this was the fourth trade since 2018 involving multiple first-round picks for a player. The others were for rider Khalil Mack, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. This had not happened before since 2009, with quarterback Jay Cutler.
Asked about the perception that Seattle has given up too much for a box safety, Adams said anyone familiar with his game knows he is doing more than just playing in the box.
Adams is joining a defense that has just had one of its worst seasons since coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider arrived in 2010. He has continued to decline since the heyday of Boom’s Legion. Adams expressed deference to his Seattle high school predecessors – Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman – and said he planned to contact the Chancellor.
The Seahawks feel Adams’s alpha personality will help restore some of the edge lost from the days of the trade. Adams was a team captain for the Jets.
“Lots of fun and juice, man, a lot of energy,” Adams said of what he brings to the Seattle locker room. “I’m a fun guy. But when it comes to the ball, we’re talking about the ball, and we’re going to get down to business.”
Adams already has relationships with a few of his new teammates. He knows Wagner from time together at the Pro Bowl and on a Jordan Brand trip to Monaco, where they talked about teaming up one day. Adams called it a “cheat code” to pair the two All-Pros together and said Wagner told him his addition would distract some of the attention from the linebacker’s opposing offenses.
Adams goes back further with Quandre Diggs, who hosted him during his college visit to Texas. The two were in communication as the trade entered its final stages, both hoping it would pass. Adams described Diggs as being “like a brother to me” and said they talked about X and O and their responsibilities as starting security in the defense of Carroll.
Another thing Adams is looking forward to is playing at CenturyLink Field. He said he released a video of the Seahawks’ home games to get a feel for the noise from the crowd while acknowledging the uncertainty over whether fans will be allowed to step into the stands this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dude, I can’t wait to meet the 12! I hope soon! Appreciate all the love you have all shown me so far. ✊????
SEAAAAAAA !!! pic.twitter.com/7UJy9BwabQ
– Jamal Adams (@Prez) July 30, 2020
Adams was conciliatory when asked about the critical comments he made about the Jets ahead of the trade. Among them, he questioned the leadership of coach Adam Gase.
“I’m focusing on being a Seattle Seahawk,” he said. “I’m really, I’m at peace with that. We have to move on, and that’s part of the business. A lot of these guys and coaches reached out, and they said I’m going to miss me and they’ve got me. love it, and it’s the same back. I shoot for these guys out there, I really am. I have no hate in my heart towards anyone. [GM Joe Douglas] to Adam Gase, whatever, I really wish them luck. And like I said, man, I’m so happy to be a Seattle Seahawk. “
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell hit back with choice words for Adams when the trade declined. Asked Thursday on SportsCenter about Bell’s comments, Adams laughed and anticipated the Seahawks’ scheduled home game against the Jets in Week 14, as he did in his initial response on Twitter.
“It’s just love for Le’Veon, man,” Adams said on SportsCenter. “I really wish him good luck. Everyone has an opinion on certain things; it’s just the nature of the beast. I had to do what was right for me and my family. And hey, man, no love. lost to no one there. Like I said, man, due to COVID and what we’re going through with the pandemic hopefully we can get to week 14 because if we do it will be a good thing, man. I’m just going to put it like that. “
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