SEATTLE — In a perfect world for Jamal Adams and the Seahawks, he would currently be in the midst of another All-Pro season having long ago proven the worth of a contract they gave him in 2021 that made him the highest-paid safety in NFL history.

You may not need reminding that things didn’t work out long-term for either Adams or the Seahawks.

As of Thursday morning Adams is again without a job, released by the Tennessee Titans on his 29th birthday.

It’s the second time in eight months Adams has been released, getting cut by the Seahawks in March.

Thursday’s news came in the wake of Tennessee last Saturday putting Adams on the reserve/non-football injury list. That move came amid a report from ESPN that Adams was unhappy with his role with the Titans — he played just 20 snaps in three games, missing the opener with a lingering hip issue.

Adams confirmed to ESPN he asked for his release and that he wasn’t frustrated about not being a starter, but that he just wanted an opportunity to contribute.

Now Adams is left hoping to find another team.

Could the Seahawks be interested?

It’s worth remembering they were interested in possibly bringing Adams back last spring after his initial release. The Seahawks typically leave all doors open.

The Seahawks’ plan, if they brought Adams back, was to have him play weakside linebacker. That was something Adams didn’t want to do, preferring to remain a safety.

The Seahawks have Jerome Baker playing that spot and have used rookie Tyrice Knight there. On the surface, it’s not necessarily a position of need. Baker has dealt with a hamstring injury that has held him out of two games, and Knight is still learning on the job.

The Seahawks do suddenly have some depth issues at safety with Rayshawn Jenkins going on injured reserve Wednesday with a hand injury.

K’Von Wallace is the listed next man up there, with converted cornerback Coby Bryant and second-year player Ty Okada the only other safeties on the 53-man roster. Second-year player Jerrick Reed II has returned to practice this week off the Physically Unable to Perform list.

The Seahawks’ defense has hit a real skid the last three weeks after a 3-0 start.

So who knows if each side might consider a prorated minimum deal for the rest of the season?

If Adams’ legacy is hardly glowing in the eyes of most Seahawks’ fans, general manager John Schneider in the spring launched a defense of his time in Seattle.

“He came in here, our coaches did a great job with him, he had 9.5 sacks [in 2020], goes to the Pro Bowl, is completely disruptive,” Schneider said in an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 in late March. “He comes back the next year, he’s having a good season, gets hurt. Then he gets hurt again [in the first game in 2022 against Denver] — like really, really bad injury. So I feel bad for him.”

Adams continues to deal with injuries. He missed much of training camp with the hip injury, and participated sparingly against the Seahawks during two joint practices in August.

While 20 snaps isn’t much of a sample size, his Pro Football Focus grades were hardly glittering — 49.8 overall via a run defense grade of 69.3 and coverage of 37.7.

That’s with a team that seemed a perfect fit for Adams to restart his career. Tennessee’s defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, was the defensive backs coach for the Jets from 2017-19, Adams’ first three years in the league. He was reunited with former Seahawks teammate and good friend Quandre Diggs.

The injury was said to slow his transition to the team’s defense and hindered Adams’ ability to carve out a role on the field.

“At this point we wish Jamal the best going forward,” Wilson told reporters Thursday. “It just didn’t work out here. He’ll have great success wherever he goes. [It didn’t work out] for numerous factors.”

Certainly, Adams again being on the street as he turns 29 isn’t what either side was expecting in July 2020 when the Schneider/Pete Carroll-era Seahawks took one of their bigger swings to get him from the New York Jets.

The Seahawks traded three picks — firsts in 2021 and 2022 and a third in 2021 — and safety Bradley McDougald for Adams and a fourth-round pick that they used on Bryant.

The three picks the Seahawks gave up turned into left tackle Christian Darrisaw (23rd in 2021), guard Wyatt Davis (86th in 2021) and receiver Garrett Wilson (10th in 2022).

Davis is not on a roster. But the 25-year-old Darrisaw (taken by the Vikings after a trade with New York) has started 44 games for Minnesota, including all five this season, ranked eighth among all offensive tackles this week by PFF. Wilson, taken 10th in 2022, was the offensive rookie of the year and has 184 catches in two-plus seasons, having never missed a game.

Along with the draft investment, the Seahawks gave Adams a four-year deal worth up to $72 million in Aug. 2021, in the wake of his 9.5-sack season in 2020 when he was named a second-team All-Pro as the Seahawks finished 12-4 and won the NFC West.

The injuries began to pile up in 2021 and Adams played just 22 more games in Seattle.

While the Seahawks released Adams in March, ridding themselves of salaries of $16.5 million in 2024 and $17.5 million in 2025, they are taking a hefty $20.83 million dead cap for him this season, meaning money already paid to a player no longer on the roster. That’s almost half of the Seahawks’ $39.45 million dead cap allotment for this year, which ranks 15th in the NFL.

Players with the history of success Adams has typically get second, third and fourth chances, so someone is sure to take a shot.

Whether the Seahawks might be interested figures to be answered soon.

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