Seattle Seahawks Make Jamal Adams NFL’s Highest Paid Safety

Life is going pretty well for former LSU safety Jamal Adams.

On Tuesday Adams inked a contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks which will now make him the highest paid safety in the NFL. Adams signed a four-year deal worth up to $72 million ($38 million guaranteed) and includes a $20 million signing bonus.

“I believe in myself. And I believe in what I can do on the football field. All I needed was somebody to believe in me. And those guys upstairs, they believed in me,” Adams said. “And they took a chance and all I can do is just continue to produce and continue to work my tail off and win ballgames, man.”

Adams was heading into the final year of his rookie contract that he originally signed when the New York Jets took him sixth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Now, he’ll average $17.5 million a year which is good work if you can get it.

Adams has been with the Seahawks since training camp opened but hadn’t participated in any kind of practice. Now, with a new deal in hand, Adams is back on the practice field and can spend the next three weeks getting ready for Seattle’s 2021 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Since entering the league, Adams has been maybe the best safety in all of football. He’s made the last three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2019, his last season with the Jets. Adams was so highly coveted by Seattle, the team sent the Jets two first round picks when trading for him.

In his first season with Seattle, Adams led the team in sacks with 9.5 and 11 tackles for loss. The 9.5 sacks was also an NFL single season record by a defensive back; for his career he has 21.5 sacks which doubles as the most by a defensive back in a player’s first four seasons and the most by a DB before their 30th birthday. Now’s the part where I remind you Adams is only 25 so he may put that record completely out of reach over the next five years.

The only knock on Adams first season with Seattle was health. He was limited to 12 games because of a groin injury and ended the year battling through injuries to both shoulders—including a torn labrum—two fingers, and an elbow.

A hearty congrats to Jamal Adams. We love to see former Tigers making literally all the money.