The Seahawks will make Jamal Adams the highest-paid safety in the NFL. The question is: When?
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports the sides are not “close at all” on long-term extension negotiations. But Adams is expected to report on time to training camp Tuesday.
“Eventually, this will be a deal that I think both sides will be happy with and Jamal Adams will likely be a very, very rich man,” Rapoport adds.
The Seahawks traded a lot in draft capital to obtain Adams from the Jets last year without doing anything to his contract, so the expectation always was the team would have to back up the Brinks truck.
Adams is set to play out this season on his fifth-year option, which carries a salary of $9.86 million. Justin Simmons became the league’s highest-paid safety in March, signing a four-year, $61 million deal with the Broncos.
Simmons’ $15.25 million per year average tops Budda Baker‘s $14.75 million per season with the Cardinals.
What the Seahawks might not be willing to do is pay Adams like a top-of-the-market inside linebacker. Fred Warner signed a $19 million-a-year extension with the 49ers last week, and Seattle’s highest-paid defensive player, linebacker Bobby Wagner, makes $18 million a year.
Adams set an NFL single-season record for most sacks by a defensive back.
He missed the team’s mandatory minicamp with an excused absence for personal reasons.