National Football League

Seahawks take a chance by making Jamal Adams the NFL's most expensive safety

Updated Aug. 18, 2021 4:33 p.m. ET

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It was probably a foregone conclusion that Jamal Adams was going to get a big contract from the Seattle Seahawks. After all, a team isn’t going to just let a player walk after giving up two first-round draft picks to acquire him.

Still, the sheer size of the contract Seattle gave Adams on Tuesday — reportedly four years for $72 million, with a $20 million signing bonus and $38 million guaranteed — opened eyes around the NFL.

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The contract keeps Adams under Seahawks control through the 2025 season, and the $17.5 million yearly salary easily outpaces the $15.25 million average that safety Justin Simmons will earn from the Denver Broncos. Adams is now the 17th-highest paid defender in the NFL and the third-highest paid player on the Seahawks, trailing only quarterback Russell Wilson ($35 million per season) and linebacker Bobby Wagner ($18 million per season), according to Spotrac.

On the surface, Adam’s numbers stack up just fine against those of Simmons and Arizona’s Budda Baker, the NFL’s third-highest paid safety ($14.75 million). Here are their numbers from 2020:

Adams: 83 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 0 interceptions
Simmons: 96 tackles, three TFL, 0 sacks, five INTs
Baker: 118 tackles, seven TFL, 2.0 sacks, two INTs

The question some are asking, though, is whether Adams possesses the all-around skillset to merit that kind of money.

On the positive side, the 25-year-old strong safety has been a top-notch defender against the run and as a pass-rusher. In his four years in the NFL — three with the New York Jets and one with Seattle — Adams has compiled 356 tackles (89 per season) and 21.5 sacks (5.4 per season). 

His 9.5 sacks for Seattle in 2020 were a record for a defensive back, surpassing the previous mark of 8.0 set by Arizona’s Adrian Wilson in 2005. Adams' 78 total pressures since the 2017 season are 31 more than the tally of any other defensive back.

Adams has also been a monster against the run game, and his impact on the Seahawks has been clear. In 2019, the season before Adams’ arrival, the Seahawks’ defense ranked 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (117.7 per game). Last season, they ranked fifth (95.6). They also improved in points allowed, going from 23rd (24.9) to 15th (23.2).

Meanwhile, after losing Adams, the Jets dropped from second to 12th in rushing yards allowed and from 16th to 26th in points allowed. But while it’s easy to see Adams’ impact in these areas, his performance in pass coverage — another important aspect of the safety position — has been mixed.

In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Adams rated as one of the NFL’s top safeties in pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, earning PFF coverage grades of 89.6 and 87.5, respectively.

In his first season in Seattle, that grade cratered to a 52.5, and the Seahawks’ defense dropped from 27th in passing yards allowed (263.9 per game) to 31st (285.0).

Adams has dismissed concerns over that area of his game, saying: "I’ve had one bad play vs. Stefon Diggs versus the Bills, and I went from being one of the guys that can take away all the tight ends to all of a sudden can’t cover. I’m doing fine in coverage. I haven’t been in a lot of man situations, believe it or not. But things can change, and I’m looking forward to those things changing."

Whether it was one play that skewed the statistics, his having to adjust to a new scheme or something else that changed the perception of Adams, the Seahawks don’t seem worried at all. Plus, coach Pete Carroll stressed that Adams offers intangibles that don’t show up in the metrics.

"He’s a great football player. He’s a young man who’s just getting started," Carroll said. "He loves being here. He’s a big factor on your team play-wise but also spirit-wise and the leadership that he brings."

As far as defending against the pass, Adams has shown in the past that he can do it.

The Seahawks are betting he'll do it again and that they'll have not only the NFL's highest-paid safety but also its most complete one.

For the record, his teammates certainly don't seem worried.

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National Football League

Seattle Seahawks

New York Jets

Jamal Adams

Justin Simmons

Denver Broncos

Budda Baker

Arizona Cardinals