Seahawks coach Pete Carroll maintained throughout the offseason that he expected a deal to get done with All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, who was heading into the final year of his rookie contract.

And now, three weeks after the team reported for camp, the Seahawks and Adams got that deal done, with Adams signing a four-year extension on Tuesday, just over a year after he came to Seattle in a trade with the Jets.

From his first practice in training camp last summer to a playoff game he battled through despite multiple injuries, Adams brought something special to the Seahawks in his first season with the team. It wasn't just the play-making ability, though there was plenty of that, but also the energy he brought to every practice and game, the competitiveness, the passion for the game and the leadership that showed in just about everything Adams did.

Getting this deal done assures Adams will keep bringing all of those attributes to the Seahawks defense for years to come.

"Jamal had an incredible role in the season," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said at the end of the season "The juice that he brought, the competitiveness, the attitude of toughness, you just couldn't miss it."

Adams, who earned Pro-Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors last season, missed four games with a groin injury, but still was able to record 9.5 sacks, an NFL record for defensive backs, 83 tackles, 14 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss. Late in the season he battled through broken fingers and later a torn labrum in his shoulder—injuries that required offseason surgery—to be a part of a four-game winning streak to finish the regular season, giving the Seahawks a 12-4 record and an NFC West title.

"His toughness is just undeniable," Carroll said after Adams played in Seattle's Wild Card game despite the torn labrum. "His self-proclaimed warrior mentality or whatever he said about himself, that's the truth. That's what he lives up to and that's what he is. He's a great player… What a great addition to the team."

"It's amazing," linebacker Bobby Wagner said Tuesday after Adams signed. "It's always good when a guy who works, really, really hard and does the stuff that he's been able to do on and off the field gets rewarded. Since he's gotten to our team, he's been a huge asset to us on the field, in the locker room, in many different ways, so to have a guy like that rewarded for his hard work, it's definitely a blessing. Whenever you see a player get paid what he deserves, it's a blessing."

The Seahawks acquired Adams last summer in a trade that sent two first-round picks, a third-rounder and safety Bradley McDougald for Adams and a fourth-round pick. It was a steep price to pay for the former No. 6 overall pick out of LSU, but as general manager John Schneider noted last year after making the move, a team consistently picking near the end of the first round doesn't get a lot of chances to add a player of Adams' caliber via the draft. And Seattle didn't give all of that up for Adams only to have him around for a couple of seasons, so the plan all along was to get this long-term extension done.

"He has been just a great team guy," Carroll said last season. "He has worked so hard, he cares so much about our team and about his relationships with the players that he plays with. He's been perfect in all ways. There's nothing I don't like about guys that have a high energy and high intensity and are jacked up, take great pride in their work, and he does all that, so he's been a great addition for us."

And for Adams, the feeling was mutual after one season in Seattle.

"I love being a Seattle Seahawk," Adams said after the season. "I love being a part of this organization, it's a special one."