The slumping Seattle Seahawks, almost certain to miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2012, earned a momentum-boosting home win over the division rival San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. But in a season full of misfortune, their celebration came at a price.
According to multiple reports, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams needs season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum and additional damage suffered during the team's win. Although the three-time Pro Bowler is expected to make a full recovery, this marks back-to-back seasons with injuries to the same shoulder.
"Waking up to find out that Jamal Adams is out this season, after they gave this man a four-year deal worth $70 million -- he's the highest-paid safety in history -- they're not necessarily getting a return on their investment," JR said during Wednesday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "As bad as Seattle is right now, they sent the Jets three draft picks for this man. Seattle sucks -- the Jets have two of their first-rounders.
"Seattle isn't even going to be able to capitalize on their awful season now. And then Jamal Adams, someone who almost had 10 sacks last year, he got paid and this year, he had zero. How about that... The Seattle Seahawks have been a massive disappointment. And knowing that you traded your picks and got Jamal Adams and you're still going into the toilet, that doesn't feel good. Somebody, eventually, is eventually going to have to go."
Adams, who turned 26 in October, suffered the new shoulder injury during the second quarter, and his status for the remainder of the game was made rather clear when he returned to the sideline wearing street clothes a quarter later. Adams dealt with a similar injury last season, though he battled through pain and waited until the offseason for surgery.
Seattle's blockbuster trade for Adams -- they sent two 2021 draft picks and a 2022 first-rounder to New York in July 2020 -- hasn't paid off. After setting an NFL defensive back record 9.5 sacks last year, he failed to record a single one in 2021. So far, Adams has only played 24 games in Seattle, and his 87 tackles this season rank third on the team.
The Seahawks (4-8), which are tied for the second-worst record in the NFC, will visit the lowly Houston Texans (2-10) in a Week 14 matchup on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the team has just a 3-percent chance to reach the playoffs.
JR's complete thoughts on Adams and the Seahawks can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.