It smells like football in the Twin Cities, as the Minnesota Vikings are back in town to prepare for the upcoming 2026 season. The rookies and select veterans returned on Sunday; the remaining players will report on Tuesday. There won’t be a shortage of Vikings news and coverage in the next weeks and months.
Ahead of training camp, the Vikings adjusted the roster, however. They first parted ways with a couple of young players in linebacker Keli Lawson and wideout Luke Wysong. Then, they filled one of those vacated spots by signing safety/linebacker Jamal Adams. The player announced the move on social media.
Once a premier player in the NFL, Adams’ stardom has faded in recent years. Injuries and an aging body, as well as an evolving NFL, have demoted him from superstar to journeyman.
His journey started at LSU, where he was a standout player, which is why the Jets snagged him with the 6th overall pick in 2017. Indeed, he was a star for them rather quickly and the Seahawks spent a pair of first-rounders for him in 2020. Fun fact: New Vikings GM Nolan Teasley was part of that front office. Once again, he looked like he was worth a hefty investment. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition in three straight years from 2018-2020.
A torn labrum prematurely ended his 2021 season in Week 13, and he couldn’t compete after Week 1 in 2022 due to a torn quad suffered in the opener. Suddenly, he was an afterthought rather than the playmaker he had been all his life.
Adams played in nine games in 2023 and was released in the following offseason. Since then, he has had stints with the Titans, Lions, and Raiders. The first two were short-lived and unsuccessful, but he had a mini career revival last year in Las Vegas as one of the few bright spots. In fact, he moved to linebacker under Pete Carroll, something the Vikings might want him to keep doing.
In Minnesota, Adams could be in the best situation imaginable. Once titled “Blitz Boy” to make fun of his coverage ability, he’s now united with a coach who loves to send extra rushers after quarterbacks. Nobody sends more blitzes than Brian Flores and Adams can do just that.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert analyzed: “With the Las Vegas Raiders last season, he played all 448 of his defensive snaps at linebacker. In Minnesota, Flores has utilized unusual personnel deployments and has often put three safeties on the field at once, with Josh Metellus serving as a roving edge rusher, linebacker and defensive backs for much of that time. Adams could help alleviate depth issues if Smith does not return, but injuries have stymied him in recent years and he has not been a full-time starter since 2023. Adams has excelled as a blitzer in his career and has 22.5 career sacks, including 16 combined during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.”
At this point in his career, Adams is a rotational player. He’s not here to replace Harrison Smith, who has yet to make the retirement call, and he’s certainly not here to threaten Blake Cashman or Eric Wilson at linebacker. Perhaps his best use would be as a situational pass rusher from the second level, a role filled by Joshua Metellus or Ivan Pace in recent years.
Adams will turn 31 in a couple of months. He’s the new versatile chess piece for Brian Flores.
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