Veteran NFL defender Jamal Adams sparked concerns as his debut for the Minnesota Vikings came to a crushing early end on Saturday.
Adams, who signed with the Vikings last month, was carted off during the team’s preseason opener against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
The 30-year-old suffered a right knee injury after playing just 11 defensive snaps. He headed into the sideline medical tent before being carted to the locker room.
Adams’s final play was in pass defense on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Fields with 13 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
As he tracked wideout Calvin Austin III across the field, Adams suddenly crumbled to the turf with an apparent non-contact injury.
‘Initial exam does not look good,’ Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the Vikings’ 13-10 win over New York. ‘Don’t want to confirm anything until we see the imaging on that.’
Veteran NFL defender Jamal Adams exited the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason game
The 30-year-old suffered an apparent non-contact right knee injury after crumbling to the turf
It comes as a major injury blow for both Adams and the Vikings who signed the defensive star to a one-year contract on the eve of training camp in July.
Adams is familiar with the MetLife turf, having played three seasons with the New York Jets. The Jets drafted him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft as a safety.
Since 2020, Adams has bounced around the league, enjoying stints with the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and most recently the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, despite making three Pro Bowls, the later stages of his career have been blemished with injury woes .
The veteran defender played just nine or fewer games in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Despite initially starting out his career as a safety, Adams made the switch to linebacker last season while with the Raiders.
However, throughout training camp the Vikings have reportedly been using him at both positions.
‘In such a short amount of time, Jamal has done such an unbelievable job coming here,’ O’Connell said before the second half began. ‘You feel his passion every single day. Certainly felt it spending a few moments with him before they took him in.
‘You’re just crushed for him, the role he was kind of paving for himself, and then just having a personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time. We’re going to miss him.’
