The current Seattle Seahawks safety made some history at the expense of his former team — the New York Jets.
Prior to the start of the 2020 NFL season, Jamal Adams demanded a trade off the New York Jets over miscommunication about a contract extension. Once the drama escalated publicly, Jets general manager Joe Douglas shipped him off to the Seattle Seahawks for their first-round selections in the next two years.
On Sunday, Adams downplayed facing off against the team that selected him sixth-overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, but said he would like to make some history against them. That’s exactly what he did against the Jets, as he extended his sack tally to 8.5 on the year in Seattle’s 40-3 win. That’s now the most sacks a defensive back has ever recorded in an NFL season.
Adams and Seahawks dominate the Jets
The sack came in the second quarter, where he chased quarterback and former teammate Sam Darnold out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage for a one-yard loss. That was a sack on a technicality, but it’s history nonetheless.
Additionally, Adams passed legendary Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson for the seventh-most sacks by a defensive back since 1982, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. And to make matters even more impressive, he did so in just 55 career games.
Adams’ stint in the New York Metropolitan area neared its end after the defensive back became upset that Douglas fielded calls from other teams at last year’s trade deadline. Then, Adams expressed his desire to sign a long-term contract extension, but the Jets preferred letting the deal play out with the fifth-year option and potentially the franchise tag before locking him in to a lucrative deal. After a public airing of grievances, the Jets received the offer from the Seahawks and agreed to the trade.
We won’t receive a true winner of the trade until the Jets use Seattle’s draft capital. Sure, Jets fans might not be pleased at Adams balling out at their expense, but they can take solace in the fact that they’re that much closer to selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.