A Seahawks Christmas 'Carroll': The Jamal Adams Trade

Who knows how much longer we will be able to use Pete Carroll's name in fun ways like this. I might as well milk it for what it's worth. 

When the Seahawks swung the trade for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams ahead of the 2020 season, they risked being haunted by the haul they gave to the Jets. They sent 2021 first and third-round draft picks, as well as a first-rounder in 2022, for Adams' services. 

Answering for the hefty price they paid for Adams, Carroll said through a sly grin, "I would say, about the draft, our No. 1 pick is Jamal Adams, and that's a heck of a pick."

It's becoming very tough to justify that for two drafts in a row, given recent developments. With the news of Adams' impending shoulder surgery that will prematurely end his 2021 season, those ghosts have been released. The first one will arrive "when the bell tolls one." 

The ghost of Seahawks' past comes first, reminding Carroll and general manager John Schneider of their past sins on the trade market.

The first trade to review on this night of restless sleep is the Percy Harvin deal. Yes, it was the year they won the Super Bowl in 2013, but Harvin was a problem in the Seattle locker room and failed to make a real impact. Seattle sent 2013 first and seventh-round picks, along with a third-rounder for the following year, to Minnesota to acquire him.

Harvin appeared in just three games throughout the season due to a hip injury. Meanwhile, the first-rounder Seattle surrendered could have gone to selecting DeAndre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, Robert Woods, Le'Veon Bell, or Travis Kelce, who were all still on the board when that draft slot went on the clock. 

Then there is the Jimmy Graham trade. Seattle traded its 2015 first-round pick and Pro Bowl center Max Unger to the Saints for the All-Pro tight end. The Seahawks tirelessly trying to convince fans that Graham belonged in their offensive scheme was like convincing yourself that fruitcake is actually good.

At times, Graham was good, but he was never a fit, like summer fruit on a plate of holiday treats. Meanwhile, the Saints enjoyed four solid seasons of Unger anchoring their offensive line at center, along with a Pro Bowl selection in 2018. Seattle would have had the No. 31 pick in the 2015 draft had it not swung the trade. Some players that Seattle could have selected with that pick were three-time Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins, Donovan Smith, a seven-year starter at left tackle for Tampa, and Preston Smith, who has 45.5 career sacks between Washington and Green Bay. 

Another trade from 2020 haunts the Seahawks as well. They gave Washington a fifth-round pick for cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who was an absolute dud in Seattle. After a turbulent offseason involving robbery charges, he played in just six games due to injury and allowed a 111.0 passer rating. 

As the ghost of past trades begins to fade, just as darkness befalls the bedroom once again, who should appear but the ghost of the Seahawks' present. 

Yes, the present is pretty scary. Despite beating the 49ers, the Seahawks are 4-8 and in last place in the NFC West. As of this writing, they have a three percent chance to make the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.com. 

The present dilemma also refers to the Russell Wilson situation. Since his return, he has not been sharp. He has just one 300-yard game all season long, coming in a Week 2 loss to the Titans. He has just one 100-plus passer rating game since October 3 and has a lackluster 81.3 passer rating since returning from his injury. It may be rust, it may be his finger isn't 100 percent, it may be something else, but he has not been his top-five-in-the-league self lately.

Adams is lost for the season, which hurts. However, he was not exactly setting the world on fire when he was playing. After setting the single-season sacks record for a defensive back last year, he failed to record a single sack in 2021. He allowed a passer rating of 99.3 when targeted in his two seasons in Seattle. In that same timeframe, he failed to play more than 12 regular season games and has not been healthy enough to be effective in several in which he did play. 

Before his injury, Adams was having his worst-graded season of his career per Pro Football Focus at 60.1. This is a far cry from his final season with the Jets, when he scored an 87.9.

Then the room gets a bit colder and darker, as the ghost of the Seahawks' future may be the scariest one yet. The Adams trade haunts two-fold, one being that he has not been consistently productive this year; the other is how much future resources Seattle invested to acquire and retain him.  

The hefty draft capital definitely hurts. Seattle has several holes along its roster it will want to fill quickly. That's hard to do without a first-round pick in 2022.

The Seahawks only picked three times in the 2021 draft, and just twice before the sixth round, partially due to the Adams deal.

Then there's the money issue. Seattle and Adams agreed to a four-year, $70 million contract extension ahead of this season. This makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, averaging $17.5 million per season. The Seahawks owe him $38 million guaranteed. Quite frankly, he is not living up to his contract thus far.

Even without much draft capital, Seattle could use money to bolster its roster. However, the projected league salary cap for 2022 is around $208 million and the Seahawks have over a third of it tied up in four players: Wilson, Adams, Tyler Lockett, and Bobby Wagner.

I don't mean to be a Scrooge, but there needs to be some serious slicing and dicing of the roster and resources for Seattle to come back ready to compete in 2022 and beyond. 

Ebenezer Scrooge awoke from his turbulent slumber a changed man in Charles Dickens' legendary tale. There is still time for Jamal Adams to find greatness once again in Seattle. There is still time for him to live up to his billing as the highest paid safety in the game. As of now, it doesn't look good, but Seattle has him under contract through the 2025 season. No one should be wrapping the chains of Jacob Marley around him and throwing away the key to the lockbox just yet. 

Schneider, Carroll, and the Seahawks need to make sure they learn from these ghosts and move swiftly to right their wrongs. If not, there will be many a "humbug" from the 12s everywhere.