Grading the Jamal Adams trade for the Seahawks and Jets

The New York Jets got the trade they wanted for Jamal Adams.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas said all along that, for a Jamal Adams trade to happen, he would need a deal that was almost too good to be true. That’s exactly what he worked out with the Seahawks to get the deal done on Saturday.

Make no mistake, New York’s defense is going to miss having Adams be a part of it. The safety was an All-Pro for a legitimate reason. He was an impact defender that could make plays in multiple facets of the game and cause matchup problems against virtually any opponent.

Having said that, the Jets are in a position where they are thinking about the long-term viability of their team and roster. And the simple truth is that Adams wasn’t going to put the franchise any closer to the playoffs in the 2020 season than not. They are in need of such a large-scale roster rebuild that an unhappy safety wasn’t going to help them.

Subsequently, for Douglas to be able to go out and get not just one first-round pick but a pair of them in addition to a third-rounder and a starting safety for the 2020 season in exchange for Adams is huge. Doing so will now give New York the opportunity to address multiple holes in the next two draft classes with top-32 picks — that effect can’t be understated.

Sure, some fans were holding out hope that New York would be able to trade Adams to the Cowboys for a first-round pick and Michael Gallup but that was always a bit of a pipe dream. In reality, this was the best deal they were going to be able to get — and Douglas deserves all the credit for making it happen.