Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams to sit out mandatory minicamp, sources say
SEATTLE -- Seahawks Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams will not participate in the team's mandatory minicamp this week, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The team has excused Adams from minicamp as he deals with a personal matter, a source told ESPN, so he won't be subject to fines.
The 25-year-old is seeking a new contract.
The Seahawks were bracing for his potential absence and the team was aware of a family/personal issue that could be a factor, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Adams was not at team headquarters Monday as Seattle players got their physicals ahead of their three-day minicamp, which begins Tuesday.
Adams was among a handful of Seahawks who were not seen at any of the organized team activities that were open to media. Many of the team's veteran players skipped in-person work for much of the voluntary offseason program before showing up during the final week of OTAs.
Players who skip mandatory minicamp without excused absences are subject to fines totaling more than $93,000.
A source told ESPN earlier this month that Seattle and Adams' representatives have had discussions about a new deal but that not much movement had been made toward an agreement. The source said there is still confidence within the organization that a deal will get done.
For now, Adams is scheduled to make $9.86 million in 2021, the fifth and final year of the rookie contract he signed with the New York Jets as the No. 6 pick in 2017. The Seahawks inherited that contract when they acquired Adams in a blockbuster trade last July for a package that included Seattle's 2021 and 2022 first-round picks.
The Seahawks were up front with Adams at the time of the trade that they were not going to give him an extension in 2020, sources told ESPN. Both sides agreed that he would play out 2020 on his rookie contract. One reason Seattle wanted to wait until this offseason to negotiate an extension was the uncertainty over how much the NFL's salary cap would drop in upcoming seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team also wanted to get to know Adams before making a significant, long-term financial commitment.
Adams made the Pro Bowl after leading the Seahawks with 9.5 sacks, a single-season record for a defensive back. That was despite missing four games with a groin injury and playing through several other injuries, including a torn shoulder labrum and two broken fingers that required offseason surgery.
He made $3.59 million in 2020.
The Denver Broncos made Justin Simmons the NFL's highest-paid safety earlier this offseason with a contract that averages $15.25 million.
"That's something that is out of my hands right now," Adams said after the season about a new deal. "I sure pray that I am here. I love being a Seattle Seahawk. I love being a part of this organization. It's a special one with special people with special guys around, and young ladies as well. So when that time comes, it comes. But I'm worried about getting healthy right now and getting back and getting into the flow of everything and figuring out everything. So I'm not really focused on that right now."
Before the draft, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said he "absolutely" views Adams as a long-term piece of Seattle's defense.
"We want him to be here long term, for sure," Schneider said in late April. "He's a great player. We're really glad we made this trade to get him. He's going to be a very important part of our future."
