Jamal Adams doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into one position on the football field. He chose to sign with the Vikings because he sees possibilities, not limitations.
“I can play linebacker, safety, corner, nose tackle, d-end, kicker,” he said. “Whatever you want me to play, I’ll play. If you want me to walk the dog, I’ll walk the dog.”
That won’t be necessary. The Vikings are covered at kicker.
The Vikings will be thrilled, however, if Adams revitalizes his career under the direction of the mad scientist running their defense.
Coordinator Brian Flores has a new project in Adams, the former All-Pro safety who once ranked among the NFL’s best and most feared players until a devastating leg injury sidetracked his career.
Adams worked at linebacker on the first day of training camp Wednesday after signing with the team earlier this week. Afterward, Adams said he picked the Vikings for two primary reasons.
“Nolan and BFlo,” he said.
That’s new general manager Nolan Teasley, who worked in the front office in Seattle during Adams’ stint with that organization, and Flores, the man whom Adams believes can resurrect his career.
“There are certain DCs in the league that you pray that you can play for one day,” Adams said. “He fits me. We fit each other.”
This is a low-risk move by the Vikings that, if successful, could allow Flores to show even more creativity in his scheme and personnel.
Adams began his career on a superstar trajectory as a hard-hitting safety for the New York Jets and Seahawks. A torn quadriceps tendon in the 2022 season opener sent his career tumbling down a different path.
“It’s probably the toughest injury you can go through in all of sports,” Adams said. “It’s not an ACL or Achilles. No offense to anybody who has that. But it’s a different level. When you tear your tendon, it takes years to really get back to yourself. You might heal, but you’re not back to yourself mentally and physically.”
Doubt crept in the longer his recovery took. He couldn’t practice at full speed, which made it difficult to find that gear on game day. Adams naively had predicted that he would beat his surgeon’s timeline for full recovery.
“You’re like, ‘Nah, I’m an athlete, I’ll be back [sooner],’” he said. “You try to beat the system. I had no chance.”
He had briefs stints with the Titans and Lions, then switched to linebacker last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and played in all 17 games.
Adams turns 31 in October and is six years removed from his last Pro Bowl campaign. He believes being healthy again and paired with Flores can unlock that old version of himself, the game changer.
“Everybody was like, ‘Man, you link up with Flo, the sky could be the limit,’” he said. “He can use you in unique ways.”
Josh Metellus is a case study. Technically, he is listed as a safety. Flores deploys him all over the field in a hybrid role.
Adams’ size (6-1, 213 pounds), physical nature and football acumen create opportunities for Flores to go the drawing board again. Flores described Adams as a “football guy [who] lives and breathes the game.”
Said Flores: “I tell guys all the time: Your role with this unit is whatever you make it and the more you can do and be productive with.”
Adams embraced a position change in his ninth NFL season a year ago. He found playing linebacker a little different but not awkward. It’s still football, he noted.
“The basic fundamentals is see ball, get ball,” he said. “Obviously there are different things that you’ve got to adjust to. I’m obviously dealing with bigger guys up front that I don’t like to deal with. But other than that, it’s cool.”
Adams isn’t sweating details. He sounds happy to feel healthy again and afforded a chance to make an impact. This opportunity might not go the way he envisions. He might not find a role, or a new contract, or the performance level that made him a star. But he’s betting on himself.
“I know what I can do,” he said. “I know what I can bring to the table.”
He believes Flores will maximize whatever that is.