Ex-Seahawk Jamal Adams injures knee, carted off in Vikings debut

Former Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams had a bright start but an ominous, unfortunate end to his Minnesota Vikings debut.

In Saturday’s preseason opener at the New York Giants, Adams, who is now officially a linebacker as of last year’s stint with the Las Vegas Raiders, showcased what made him a tantalizing All-Pro level talent by shooting the B-gap and generating a tackle for loss.

Unfortunately, his day would end on a cart after suffering what appeared to be a right knee injury on Jaxson Dart’s touchdown pass to rookie Malachi Fields.

The reports from MetLife Stadium do not sound promising for Adams and the severity of his injury. He has already been declared out for the game, which in preseason can be precautionary but may speak to something likely more serious.

As Seahawks fans know all too well, Adams had a deep injury history in Seattle, including multiple shoulder injuries in his first two seasons with the team, as well as a torn quad tendon in the 2022 Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos. He was shut down for the final few weeks of the 2023 season due to ongoing knee issues, and was subsequently released in the 2024 offseason.

Adams has bounced around the league post-Seahawks, barely playing for the Tennessee Titans before a short stint with the Detroit Lions. When Adams reunited with Pete Carroll on the Raiders in 2025, he actually played all 17 games in a reserve linebacker role. Even if the Raiders were a disaster, it was clearly a personal accomplishment for Adams to make it through the full season.

Playing in Brian Flores’ comically aggressive, blitz-heavy defense, Adams had a chance to really rejuvenate his career as an off-ball linebacker. Unless the diagnosis comes through with something promising, this could be yet another devastating injury for the 30-year-old.