Seattle Seahawks: Jamal Adams trade par for the course

No one should be surprised by the Seattle Seahawks trading for Jamal Adams.

The Seattle Seahawks made a massive trade over the weekend for New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, which included a bounty of draft picks and even a starting player going back to the Jets for the Pro Bowl safety.

Although it truly felt like the New York Jets had no leverage with Adams publicly campaigning his services to other NFL teams and friends around the league, they managed to get a king’s ransom in return for him.

That is a massive haul of picks going to the Jets, but the Seahawks are a team that has consistently found value in veteran players with high draft picks versus consistently utilizing the NFL Draft.

It’s almost as though we should have expected Seahawks GM John Schneider would be the one to pull off a deal for Adams all along.

Over the last eight years, the Seahawks have traded their first-round pick as many times as they have used it.

With the Legion of Boom dismantled and Seattle poised to make some noise in the postseason, a player like Adams can come in and have a significant impact on their roster.

Although some detractors want to label Adams as just a box safety, he can play the Kam Chancellor role in Seattle’s revamped defense, and use his physicality and speed to make it feel like Seattle’s got 12 guys out there on the field.

Couple Adams’ arrival with the arrival of 2020 first-round pick Jordyn Brooks, and Seattle is really just making good use of their assets.

Russell Wilson will be 32 by the end of the 2020 season. The clock is by no means ticking on his career, but that age number is not getting lower every year.

With Wilson at the peak of his career right now, the Seahawks are simply utilizing a couple of picks that probably will end up being in the mid-late 20s or 30s anyway. Why would you not add a proven star player with your draft picks as opposed to thinking you could add rookies into the mix every year with a superstar at quarterback?

There is not one right way to build a team in the NFL. John Schneider has certainly been known for his, let’s call them interesting first-round selections through the years. Although he’s hit some home runs in round one, the Seahawks have had a lot more success through the later rounds of the NFL Draft.

Schneider is certainly not taking a self-deprecating shot at his draft history by making this trade, but he’s using unknown assets for a known, star asset.

Although it seems like the Seahawks gave up too much here, what need do they have for a couple of late first-round picks when they can have a young player who can impact their team immediately in a significant way?

This trade isn’t going to hinder a rebuild because Seattle’s not rebuilding. It’s not going to cost the Seahawks a shot at a star QB prospect because they don’t presently need one.

What this trade does is expedite Seattle’s championship chances, and this is something that has proven fruitful for Schneider in the past.