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On July 28, Jamal Adams signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
To play what position, exactly?
“I can play linebacker, safety, corner, nose tackle, defensive end, kicker,” Adams said on the first day of training camp. “It don’t even matter. Whatever you want me to play, I play. You want me to walk the dog, I walk the dog.”
Adams was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He was named to the All-Pro team three times; in 2019 as a first-teamer with New York and on the second team in 2018 and 2020, the latter coming while he played for the Seattle Seahawks.
In the 2022 season opener for the Seahawks, he suffered a torn quad tendon.
“It’s probably the toughest injury you can go through in all of sports,” Adams said. “It’s not an ACL or an Achilles. No offense to anybody that has that, but it’s a different level. It’s an intense level. When you tear your tendon, it takes time. It takes years to really get back to yourself. You might heal, but you’re not back to yourself mentally and physically.”
He missed the rest of the 2022 season and played in nine games in 2023. He was released by Seattle ahead of the 2024 season. He played three games with the Titans and two with the Lions before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2025 season and switching to linebacker.
In the early days of his injury, Adams said he had doubts. He couldn’t practice at full speed, which threw him off during games.
“I wasn’t confident,” Adams said. “I knew my knee wasn’t fully back yet, but I knew I was on contract. I had to go out there and sacrifice. I wanted to play with my guys. I went out there, did what I could, but my knee just never could give it to me each and every week.”
It was his faith and his family that pushed him through the setback. Stephon Gilmore and Gerald McCoy, who had suffered the same injury, reached out to him and recommended a surgeon. But Adams also said that, regardless of the support or outside voices, facing adversity is a personal test.
“You never know who you are until your back is against the wall,” Adams said.
Now, nearly four years after the injury, he says “the sky’s the limit” for his time with the Vikings.
Adams entered the NFL as a safety, but defensive coordinator Brian Flores said he isn’t yet sure where Adams will ultimately line up. Still, Adams grew up playing football and his games is “see ball, get ball.”
Flores acknowledged Adams’ years of experience and accolades but describes him at his core as “a football guy.”
“He lives and breathes the game,” Flores said. “There’s a joy and a love for the game that’s infectious.”
General manager Nolan Teasley said he first pitched the idea of signing Adams because of “the skill set, and my experience with him, and the energy and the passion that he brings.”
The two overlapped in Seattle, where Adams said “that was my guy.”
Adams isn’t dissuaded by the lack of a guarantee or large paycheck; at $1.3 million, his contract is worth the veteran minimum.
“I’m fortunate enough to play this game,” Adams said. “I’ve made a lot of money in this game. Contracts are contracts. I’m here to make the team.”
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To play what position, exactly?
“I can play linebacker, safety, corner, nose tackle, defensive end, kicker,” Adams said on the first day of training camp. “It don’t even matter. Whatever you want me to play, I play. You want me to walk the dog, I walk the dog.”
Adams was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He was named to the All-Pro team three times; in 2019 as a first-teamer with New York and on the second team in 2018 and 2020, the latter coming while he played for the Seattle Seahawks.
In the 2022 season opener for the Seahawks, he suffered a torn quad tendon.
“It’s probably the toughest injury you can go through in all of sports,” Adams said. “It’s not an ACL or an Achilles. No offense to anybody that has that, but it’s a different level. It’s an intense level. When you tear your tendon, it takes time. It takes years to really get back to yourself. You might heal, but you’re not back to yourself mentally and physically.”
He missed the rest of the 2022 season and played in nine games in 2023. He was released by Seattle ahead of the 2024 season. He played three games with the Titans and two with the Lions before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2025 season and switching to linebacker.
In the early days of his injury, Adams said he had doubts. He couldn’t practice at full speed, which threw him off during games.
“I wasn’t confident,” Adams said. “I knew my knee wasn’t fully back yet, but I knew I was on contract. I had to go out there and sacrifice. I wanted to play with my guys. I went out there, did what I could, but my knee just never could give it to me each and every week.”
It was his faith and his family that pushed him through the setback. Stephon Gilmore and Gerald McCoy, who had suffered the same injury, reached out to him and recommended a surgeon. But Adams also said that, regardless of the support or outside voices, facing adversity is a personal test.
“You never know who you are until your back is against the wall,” Adams said.
Now, nearly four years after the injury, he says “the sky’s the limit” for his time with the Vikings.
Adams entered the NFL as a safety, but defensive coordinator Brian Flores said he isn’t yet sure where Adams will ultimately line up. Still, Adams grew up playing football and his games is “see ball, get ball.”
Flores acknowledged Adams’ years of experience and accolades but describes him at his core as “a football guy.”
“He lives and breathes the game,” Flores said. “There’s a joy and a love for the game that’s infectious.”
General manager Nolan Teasley said he first pitched the idea of signing Adams because of “the skill set, and my experience with him, and the energy and the passion that he brings.”
The two overlapped in Seattle, where Adams said “that was my guy.”
Adams isn’t dissuaded by the lack of a guarantee or large paycheck; at $1.3 million, his contract is worth the veteran minimum.
“I’m fortunate enough to play this game,” Adams said. “I’ve made a lot of money in this game. Contracts are contracts. I’m here to make the team.”
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