Out of nowhere, the Minnesota Vikings signed three-time Pro Bowl linebacker (formerly a safety) Jamal Adams on Monday, who was the next big thing in the NFL about nine years ago. NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweeted, “Breaking: 3x All-Pro S Jamal Adams is signing with the Vikings, multiple sources tell me. Adams, who switched to LB for the Raiders last season, recorded 45 tackles, 5 TFLs and 1 sack in Vegas.”
The Vikings already had crowded safety and linebacker rooms entering training camp, and the Adams addition especially spells bad news for fourth-year linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. Here’s why.
Why Jamal Adams Creates a Problem for Ivan Pace Jr.
Lo and Behold, Adams Is More of a Linebacker These Days
Adams didn’t play much in 2023 or 2024 – – consider it a career low point – – but the Las Vegas Raiders helped rescue his career last season. And they decided he was a linebacker, not a safety.
Here’s where Adams played last year in the Raiders’ defense:
- D-Line: 66
- Box (LB): 254
- Slot Corner: 124
- Wide Corner: 2
- Free Safety: 2
He was Las Vegas’s version of Josh Metellus, deployed all over the place and used as a chess piece. If you need further proof about Adams’s role in Minnesota, he’s straight-up listed as a linebacker on the Vikings’ website.
It’s time to declare this once and for all: Adams, at age 30, is a linebacker, not a safety.
Pace Jr. Already Deprioritized Last Year
So, why might Pace Jr. be the odd man out after the Adams signing? Well, foremost, Pace Jr. is a linebacker and doesn’t really have safety utility. It won’t be as simple as: “Hey, maybe they can move Pace Jr. to safety and call it good?” Nope – – that’s not his jam.
What’s more, Pace Jr. – – before the Adams transaction – – was already battling a path back to relevance with the Vikings and in the NFL as a whole. He started his career like gangbusters in 2023 and 2024, the hot undrafted discovery in Minnesota and former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s claim to fame.
That reputation has fallen by the wayside for Pace Jr. Eric Wilson played so marvelously last year that he swiped Pace Jr.’s job and didn’t give it back. Pace Jr. also struggled with tackling and pass coverage in 2025; it was just a no-brainer that Wilson would play, and Pace Jr. would ride the bench.
Meanwhile, the Vikings drafted linebacker Jake Golday in Round 2 three months ago. He won’t be cut or anything close to it. The LB roster spots are dwindling for Pace Jr. It’s just a matter of fact.
Adams Probably Won’t Be Buried on the Bench
Would it be utterly unheard of for the Vikings to sign Adams and cut him loose in late August? No, not really. But is that the most likely outcome? No, not really.
The Vikings probably signed Adams for a reason. Why do it flippantly with a plan to drop him after the preseason games? Adams also has a connection to new Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley from the Seattle days. In fact, Seattle trading the farm for Adams in a deal with the New York Jets was one of the worst NFL trades in recent memory. Teasley appears to enjoy the guy.
Generally speaking, it’s more likely that Pace Jr. would be dropped amid roster cuts than Adams. Otherwise, the club could’ve done nothing in the Adams sweepstakes and let it ride with Pace Jr. as a backup linebacker.
Vikings Can Cut Pace Jr. with No Penalty
Minnesota re-upped with Pace Jr. this offseason at a time when fans wondered if he’d be back at all. Along the way, the Vikings structured his deal so there is absolutely zero financial pain if they let him go.
Teasley would save $3.5 million if he cut Pace Jr. while incurring a dead cap penalty of $0.00. Not for nothing, that $3.5 million could be used on a different free agent, perhaps a proven EDGE defender or whatever roster need may emerge this summer due to injuries or otherwise.
Don’t Forget about Harrison Smith’s Possible Roster Spot
Some were quick to rule out a Harrison Smith “comeback” after the Adams news, which is fair – – if one believes that Adams is still a safety. He’s not. He’s a linebacker.
Yet, if Smith does return for Year No. 15 – – perhaps after the preseason games – – the roster math gets even cloudier for Pace Jr. If Smith tells the Vikings, “I’m back,” he’d obviously command a roster spot. That shrinks the situation for Pace Jr., who is already on thin ice.
The roster spots are thinning for Pace Jr.
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VikesNow Verdict: Adams doesn’t have to directly replace Pace to threaten his roster spot. With Golday joining an already-crowded linebacker room and Minnesota able to release Pace without dead money, his margin for error is suddenly razor-thin.
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