The New York Jets rarely end up on the right end of personnel moves, but they managed to shake down the Seattle Seahawks when they traded former All-Pro safety over to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for some premium draft picks. The Seahawks got one good year out of Adams before injuries took hold.
Despite the fact that new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald had success with versatile safeties like Kyle Hamilton in Baltimore, Seattle decided to part ways with Adams. Adams signed with the Tennessee Titans shortly thereafter, but he immediately proved the Seahawks correct in their assessment of him.
Adams had fallen out of favor so drastically that he played in just three games and picked up only a handful of snaps in Tennessee's last few games. Irked by his lack of playing time, Adams officially asked the Titans to release him. The team granted his request just six weeks into the 2024 season.
The Seahawks have moved on, building a very promising secondary led by the safety duo of Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins. Seattle knew immediately that Adams was washed, and his release by Tennessee now confirms how far the former No. 6 overall pick has fallen.
After two straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro seasons with the Jets, Adams looked like the real deal in his first year in Seattle after setting the NFL record for sacks by a defensive back with 9.5 in 2020. Since then, however, Adams has recorded just two interceptions and no sacks, all as his play declines.
Adams was beset by injuries from the jump in Seattle. For a player who never had great speed, his ailments sapped his explosiveness to the point where he was a huge liability in coverage. His last two seasons in Seattle saw him take huge steps backward.
When one combines that downturn in form with his behavior off the field, specifically mocking a former Jets reporter's wife and doubling down on the incident, Adams' value has never been lower. At this point, it will be hard to imagine any team investing in Adams as a starter, which is how he sees himself.
The Seahawks are trying to rid themselves of as many struggling Pete Carroll holdovers as possible, with Adams being one of their biggest moves.
