Jamal Adams Trade 'Extraordinary Opportunity' for Seahawks, Pete Carroll Says

Some thought the Seattle Seahawks paid an extortionate price for Jamal Adams.  

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told Peter King of NBC Sports he saw the deal as an "extraordinary opportunity." 

Seattle pulled off the blockbuster trade Saturday, sending two first-round picks (2021 and 2022) and a third-rounder in 2021 along with safety Bradley McDougald for Adams and a 2022 fourth-round selection.

Adams is one of the best safeties in football. He's made a pair of Pro Bowls and is a two-time All-Pro selection before his 25th birthday. He is one of the best all-around defenders in the sport. Pro Football Focus has given Adams a career grade of 90.0, putting him in line to join Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor among star safeties in Seattle.

The Seahawks traded for Adams at a premium despite the All-Pro making several public declarations he wanted out of New York. The tipping point may have been an interview with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, in which he railed against coach Adam Gase and general manager Joe Douglas. Adams said Gase lacked leadership skills and called out Douglas for lying to him about wanting to give him a contract extension this offseason. 

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Adams agreed to play out the 2020 season on his rookie contract with "no promises" of an extension in 2021, either. The situation feels similar to Jalen Ramsey's trade to the Los Angeles Rams, which came after his relationship with the Jacksonville Jaguars became so toxic they were at a point of no return.

That said, the Seahawks paid a significant price in terms of draft capital for a non-premium position. 

"I wouldn't trade two ones for a safety," one general manager told NBC Sports' Peter King on Saturday. "Particularly when you've got to pay the safety a lot of money. I like what the Jets did."

The Seahawks may not be paying Adams a huge sum of money immediately, but they will soon. The Ramsey parallels continue here; both the Rams and Seahawks paid such a significant price that they cannot possibly justify allowing the players to leave via free agency. That will give Adams most of the leverage in contract negotiations. Laremy Tunsil took advantage of another similar situation to become the highest-paid lineman in football with the Houston Texans.

In other words, the Seahawks better hope Adams continues his extraordinary trajectory because they'll likely be paying him for it in more ways than one.