At first, it looked like the decision of Seahawks safety Jamal Adams to stay away from the team’s mandatory minicamp was unexcused, a boycott of the event in an effort to get a new contract. Then, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the absence was excused.
That doesn’t make it something other than a boycott.
The Seahawks have a delicate situation with Adams. He wants a new contract. He deserves a new contract. By not getting him to sign a new contract when giving up a pair of first-round picks to trade for him last year, the Seahawks gave him considerable leverage in his quest for a new contract.
The time has come to pay Adams. Surely, the Seahawks will. If they don’t, they’ll look like idiots for giving up a pair of first-round picks to get him.
Regarding his absence from mandatory minicamp as excused helps to avoid making things worse. The Seahawks knew, or should have known, when trading for Adams that they’d have to pay Adams. They also knew, or should have known, that Adams has no qualms about making his feelings known — and about acting on them. Indeed, he got to the point where he wanted out of New York after only three seasons.
So the Seahawks were smart to let him skip minicamp. They’ll be even smarter to get him signed to a new deal before training camp. They would have been even smarter than that to sign him to a new deal as part of the trade. In his happiness to swap the Jets for a perennial contender, Adams may have taken considerably less then than he’ll want now, especially since he has far more leverage in the aftermath of the trade.
Seahawks have a delicate situation with Jamal Adams originally appeared on Pro Football Talk