Seahawks Agree To Four-Year, $70M Extension With S Jamal Adams

According to Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks and S Jamal Adams have agreed to terms on a four-year, $70 million extension. 

The two sides had been locked in a stalemate until now over guaranteed money, which Rapoport says will be $38 million. 

Ultimately, it appears Seattle’s rumored threat to go year-by-year with Adams on the franchise tag may have convinced the safety to yield given reports indicated the two sides were just $2 million in guaranteed money apart in talks. 

Sources told the Seattle Times that the Seahawks and Adams were roughly $4 million apart in annual compensation for Adams at the start of training camp two weeks ago. They since had some back-and-forth negotiations and were able to meet in the middle.

Seattle is reportedly giving Adams $17.5 million per year as part of a four-year contract with roughly $38 million guaranteed, which makes Adams the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

Adams and representatives wanted $40 million in guarantees and to move bonus money into the first three years of the contract. The Seahawks prefer to spread that money out over the four years of the contract, which is why there was a stalemate until now. 

However, the Seahawks and Adams finally were able to get a long-term deal done that was set in motion when Seattle traded two first-round picks to the Jets last summer for Adams. 

Adams, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Jets out of LSU back in 2017. He played out the fourth year of his four-year rookie contract worth $22,256,084, which includes a signing bonus of $14,326,244.

The Jets exercised Adams’ fifth-year option before ultimately trading him to the Seahawks for a package including two first-round picks.

The option was slated to cost the Seahawks $9.86 million for the 2021 season. 

In 2020, Adams appeared in 12 games for the Seahawks and recorded 83 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble, no interceptions, and three pass defenses. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 53 safety out of 94 qualifying players. 

We’ll have more on Adams as the news is available.