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Jamal Adams

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Adams, Perryman

August 14th, 2025 at 6:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nik Bonitto played in the Broncos‘ preseason opener but will miss some time leading up to the season. The 2024 All-Pro selection is down because of a procedure to have a bone spur removed in the top of his foot, per 9News’ Mike Klis. Sean Payton expects Bonitto to be ready to return by next week, though it can be safely assumed the edge rusher’s preseason is over. The Broncos also have an extension to sort out with Bonitto, who is entering a contract year. Denver has reached agreements with Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen during training camp, and a few Bonitto contract rumors have circulated this offseason.

This injury rehab stretch could give Bonitto’s camp time to hammer out a deal before the team’s top sack artist returns to practice, though the prospect of a Micah Parsons Cowboys extension raising the market’s ceiling — and thus the kind of deal Bonitto could command south of Parsons’ price point — could factor into the proceedings here.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Another injury development coming out of Denver is not as kind. Fullback/tight end Nate Adkins will miss regular-season time due to a tightrope procedure to address a high ankle sprain, Payton said. Adkins could be a candidate for one of the Broncos’ two allotted August IR-return slots. Teams must announce the players for those spots by roster-cutdown day August 26. Those moves count toward teams’ eight injury activations — whether the player is eventually activated or not — in-season. Adkins played a healthy amount of snaps last season, logging 420 during a 10-start season. He caught 14 passes for 115 yards and three TDs last season, his second with the Broncos.
  • The Broncos might need to consider a fourth active-roster RB due to J.K. Dobbins‘ injury history; their early hierarchy may exclude a 2024 draft pick. Audric Estime did not enter the team’s preseason opener until the third quarter, as his entrance came after Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie saw action. The Broncos also have Blake Watson as a candidate, and the 2024 UDFA entered the game in the second half as well. Estime is firmly on the roster bubble, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel notes. It would not surprise if the team aimed to trade one of its options before cutdown day later this month, but ensuring two of these players are rostered behind Dobbins and R.J. Harvey would make sense as well.
  • Jamal Adams is vying for a Raiders roster spot and doing so, technically, at a new position. Adams is giving linebacker another try, confirming (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore) Pete Carroll told him immediately he would be working there. The Seahawks had asked Adams to play linebacker before, but he declined at the time. The 2024 Seattle cap casualty played sparingly as a backup with the Titans and Lions, representing a steep fall from formerly signing a safety-record extension. Adams’ best work has always come in the box or as a safety blitzer, making a linebacker transition more natural. On a one-year, $1.26MM contract with no guarantees, the ninth-year vet is also not exactly in a position to refuse such a request.
  • The gun charges against linebacker Denzel Perryman has been dropped, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes. Perryman was arrested on felony weapons charges during a traffic stop earlier this month. Five firearms, including two assault-style rifles, were found in the Chargers defender’s vehicle. He was initially held without bail, but ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim notes Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman declined to file charges. Perryman is on a one-year, $2.66MM deal to continue a second Chargers stint.

Raiders, S Jamal Adams Agree To Deal

July 22nd, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jamal Adams has his next NFL opportunity lined up. The veteran safety is signing with the Raiders, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Moments before news of the signing broke, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted Adams was present for a free agent visit. Things have clearly gone according to plan on this front. By taking a Raiders deal, Adams will reunite with head coach Pete Carroll.

The two worked together in Seattle for four years. Adams came to the Emerald City amidst major expectations based on the price paid to acquire him from the Jets via trade. The former top-1o pick exceled with 9.5 sacks during his debut Seahawks campaign, but things did not go according to plan from that point on. A decline in play (especially in coverage) along with multiple significant injuries ultimately led to a release last March.

As a free agent, Adams joined the Titans but wound up logging only 20 defensive snaps. The team granted his request to be released, and a Lions deal soon followed. The three-time Pro Bowler made just a pair of appearances, though, and to no surprise he remained on the open market deep into the summer this year. Adams expressed interest in a Jets reunion this spring, but with nothing taking place in that regard he will prepare for another season working with Carroll.

Seattle’s $17.5MM-per-year pact proved to be a problematic investment for Adams, and to no surprise he has not managed to land a deal near that value since his release. That will no doubt be the case as well with this Raiders agreement. The 29-year-old will join a safety room featuring free agent addition Jeremy Chinn and returnee Isaiah Pola-Mao in position to operate as starters. Adams could offer experienced depth and, with 83 starts to his name, step into a defensive role if needed.

In other Raiders news, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports cornerback JT Woods is being signed. The former third-rounder has made a total of 13 appearances in the regular season, each coming with the Chargers between 202-23. After a season without logging any game time, he will join Adams in looking to secure a roster spot in the secondary.

S Jamal Adams Interested In Jets Reunion

May 16th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jamal Adams is five years removed from the trade which ended his Jets tenure. The veteran safety is now eyeing a return to the team which drafted him, however.

“I would love to be back with the Jets and, obviously, finish it the right way,” Adams said during an exchange with Jets fans on X (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “Man, that would be a dream come true, just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it right.”

Adams spent his first three years with the Jets, establishing himself as one of the league’s top defensive backs over that span. The former No. 6 pick earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018 and ’19, along with one spot on each of the first- and second- All-Pro teams along the way. A trade request sparked in part by Adams’ desire to become the league’s highest-paid safety led to a trade sending him to the Seahawks. He noted, via Cimini, he has reached out to former Jets GM Joe Douglas to apologize for the way the saga unfolded.

That swap saw New York receive a pair of first-round picks and saw Adams land a $70MM deal with the Seahawks. The LSU product recorded 9.5 sacks in 2020 en route to a third straight Pro Bowl nod. After that, however, Adams struggled with a decline in play in coverage and, later, injuries. He (along with Quandre Diggs) was released in a cost-shedding move last spring.

The Titans wound up adding Adams, but in late October the team granted his request to be released and become an in-season free agent. That led to a practice squad arrangement with the Lions, allowing Adams to spend time with then-Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Glenn is now the Jets’ head coach, so a return to New York would double as a reunion between those two.

As the Lions dealt with a number of injuries on defense, Adams only made a pair of appearances and played just 20 defensive snaps. A regular role would not be expected if a Jets pact were to worked out to add him to a safety room including returnee Tony Adams, free agent addition Andre Cisco and fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore. A move to linebacker has been floated in the past in Adams’ case, and such a transition would involve a spot behind Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams on the depth chart.

With over $23MM in cap space, the Jets could certainly afford a low-cost flier on Adams. It will be interesting to see if the team’s new regime led by Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey reciprocates his interest in a contract.

Lions Release Jamal Adams

January 1st, 2025 at 6:13pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions released former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams from their practice squad on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.

Adams began the season with the Titans before requesting his release in October. Tennessee obliged, giving Adams the chance to join Detroit’s practice squad at the beginning of December. He received game day elevations in Week 14 and 15, but played just 20 snaps on defense with three total tackles.

Even as injuries mounted for the Lions in December, Adams did not receive any more playing time. He has never been able to recapture the playmaking form that propelled him to three straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2018 to 2020, a period that included a first-team All-Pro nod in 2021.

Adams recorded 21.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles across his first four NFL seasons, but has played the last six years without a single play in either category.

Adams is unlikely to find another team this season and will enter a second straight offseason as a free agent. He may not have the range to play safety anymore, but he has historically excelled in the box. Converting to a dime-backer who can feature as a blitzer and cover running backs and tight ends may be the best way to extend his career.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/24

December 5th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from around the league, including game day elevations for Thursday Night football:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Designated to return from injured reserve: CB Elijah Jones

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Elevated to the active roster from the practice squad: CB Kalen King

Houston Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

The Lions signed Adams to their practice squad on Sunday after a slew of injuries on Thanksgiving. The onetime All-Pro played 20 snaps across three games for the Titans this year before he landed on the Non-Football injury list and requested his release. Though he’s still listed as a defensive back, Adams is likely to play in the box after Malcolm Rodriguez joined three other Lions linebacker on injured reserve.

Lions Sign S Jamal Adams

December 1st, 2024 at 12:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Shortly after signing linebacker Kwon Alexander, the Lions are adding another former Pro Bowler in the hopes of strengthening their injury-ravaged defense. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Detroit is signing safety Jamal Adams to the practice squad with the intention of elevating him to the active roster in short order.

Adams, 29, was cut by the Titans in October, a move that the player himself requested. He had just signed with Tennessee in July, but he appeared in a grand total of 20 snaps with the team before landing on the reserve/non-football injury list with a hip ailment. His placement on that list coincided with reports of his discontent regarding his playing time, and he was granted his release shortly thereafter.

The Jets made Adams the No. 6 overall pick of the 2017 draft, and the LSU product delivered on his draft pedigree by earning Pro Bowl acclaim in his second and third professional seasons. Understandably, he angled for a lucrative contract extension when he first became eligible after the end of the 2019 campaign, but the lack of an offer and the fact that he had been dangled in trade talks in advance of the 2019 trade deadline irked him, and he formally requested a trade in June 2020. A month later, the Jets obliged and sent Adams to the Seahawks in exchange for a package headlined by two first-round draft picks.

After a productive debut season in Seattle, in which he set a DB record with 9.5 sacks, Adams was rewarded with a four-year, $70MM deal prior to the 2021 season. That was a record-setting mark for safeties at the time, but Adams’ career fell off track shortly after signing the contract. Over the 2021-23 seasons, he appeared in a total of 22 games due to injury, and his salary cap charges made him an obvious release candidate this year. The Seahawks cut ties in March, though the club subsequently expressed interest in a reunion on a less expensive deal.

If Seattle had re-signed Adams, it had hoped to deploy him as a linebacker. That would not have been too different than the in-the-box safety role he generally filled during his time with the ‘Hawks, but player and team could not come to terms on a second accord, and Adams eventually headed to Nashville.

After failing to make an impact with the Titans, Adams will now try to resuscitate his career with the Lions. Although Detroit has posted an 11-1 record in 2024, the club has dealt with a number of key injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is back on IR for the time being, so Adams could offer safety depth behind the the starting tandem of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

Interestingly, the Lions’ LB corps has been hit especially hard by injury (hence the Alexander acquisition). Perhaps Detroit will ask Adams to operate more on the second level of the defense — just as Seattle had planned to do — and/or to rotate in as a pass rusher.

Titans To Release S Jamal Adams

October 17th, 2024 at 8:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Jamal Adams‘ 29th birthday will involve a morning release. The veteran safety is out in Tennessee, with the Titans moving on after barely using the former All-Pro.

Adams requested to be moved, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. As a vested veteran cut before the trade deadline, Adams will head straight to free agency. Starting one game, Adams played all of 20 defensive snaps with the Titans this season.

The Titans are removing Adams from their reserve/NFI list, having placed him on that particular injured list late last week. Adams did not generate much of a market in the wake of his Seahawks exit, and while the former top-10 pick will likely present some degree of intrigue as a free agent in-season, he has not delivered a productive year since 2021.

Sustaining a season-ending quad injury in Week 1 of the 2022 season, Adams did not make it too far on a then-safety-record extension. The former Jets All-Pro only suited up for nine games last year. Although the Seahawks — now employing a new coaching staff — showed interest in a reunion after cutting him, Adams confirmed he was asked to play linebacker. That move would not have been too far out of step from his previous box role in Seattle, which allowed him to set a DB record with 9.5 sacks in 2020. But he did not come particularly close to justifying the Seahawks’ trade, which sent the Jets two first-round picks earlier in 2020.

The Titans signed both Adams and Quandre Diggs, reuniting the Seahawks starters, this summer. Adams signed first, but Diggs — a more traditional safety who signed for more money ($3MM to $1.29MM) — has seen more playing time in Tennessee. Diggs has started all five Titans games this season, joining holdover Amani Hooker as first-string safeties for Brian Callahan‘s team.

Adams did not start the 2023 season on time and ended it on the shelf due to a knee injury. He also considered retirement amid the lengthy rehab effort that left him off the field for more than a year. It appears Adams wants another shot, but he has not generated any momentum since that quad injury sidetracked his career.

Titans Place S Jamal Adams On NFI List

October 12th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans seemingly bolstered their secondary in the offseason with three headline-grabbing additions. While starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and starting safety Quandre Diggs have mostly lived up to the hype as contributors, veteran safety Jamal Adams has failed to make an impact, appearing in just 20 snaps this season including a one-snap appearance in Week 4 following a Week 3 start.

While it’s not clear whether or not injury has been a factor in Adams’ lack of presence on the defense so far, injury will seemingly be a factor in his future absence. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Adams has been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list with a hip issue. He will now sit out, at least, the Titans’ next four games.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport brings additional color to the situation, reporting that Adams has reportedly “been frustrated by the lack of playing time” in Tennessee. After not playing in Week 1, Adams appeared in two defensive snaps in his Week 2 debut with the Titans. He got the start the following week but still only played 17 defensive snaps. Following that up with only one snap in Week 4 seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

According to Davenport, Adams felt he could truly contribute to the Titans defensive unit, even if it wasn’t in a starting role. Regardless of whether or not he was coming off the bench, Adams “just wanted a chance to help the team.”

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen Adams at odds with his employer. His notorious breakup with the Jets is well-documented, and part of his split with Seattle was due to unhappiness in his role, most notably that they asked him to transition to linebacker. The “non-football” part of his injury designation raises eyebrows as it implies that he will miss time for something that occurred off the field. It will be interesting to see what details are revealed as reporting on the situation continues.

For now, though, it appears the new marriage between Adams and Tennessee could be in trouble. Between a non-football injury causing him to miss time and his public displeasure with his playing time, it’s hard to imagine a long, happy union in the two parties’ futures.

Seahawks Asked S Jamal Adams To Play LB

July 27th, 2024 at 3:23pm CST by Ely Allen

Jamal Adams has been one of the leaders of the safety/linebacker-hybrid movement since being drafted No. 6 overall back in 2017. Still, Adams has been adamant throughout his career that he is a safety. Thanks to an interview clip from ESPN’s Turron Davenport, we received a clue that a request to move to linebacker may have been a factor in Adams’ departure from Seattle.

Early in his career with the Jets, Adams’ numbers reflected those of a strong safety. While consistently being atop the team’s leaders in tackles, he still was very active in coverage, recording two interceptions and 25 passes defensed in his three years with New York. His efforts with the Jets earned him first- and second-team All-Pro honors and two Pro Bowl appearances.

After being traded to Seattle, Adams’ situation changed a bit. While the biggest change saw Adams struggle to stay on the field as he began dealing with annual injury issues, he also saw his role on the defense be tested in different ways. While in New York, Adams did see his time split between the box as a linebacker and as a safety or slot defensive back. In his first season with the Seahawks, though, Adams’ time at safety significantly decreased as he spent most of his time closer to the line in the slot or, mostly, in the box.

The following season, Adams pushed for more time at safety, and for the first time in his career, he played more snaps at safety than in the box or the slot. Unfortunately, that season also returned his worst defensive grade, per Pro Football Focus, up to that point of his career as well as the worst coverage grade of his career. 2022 saw his season lost to a torn quad tendon, then last year, with the arrival of Julian Love, Adams played the lowest snap share at safety in his career, playing almost exclusively close to the line at linebacker or nickel.

Davenport asked the new Titans defender about his departure from Seattle, inquiring whether they officially asked him to change positions. In response, Adams told the media, “Yeah, they did. They definitely did. Obviously, it wasn’t, you know, what I wanted to do, but I wish those guys nothing but the best.”

In Tennessee, Adams projects to serve as the third safety behind Elijah Molden and Amani Hooker, meaning he will likely continue to be used across the defense in a variety of ways. Agreeing to sign with the Titans, though, likely means that the team agreed to keep using him in some capacity at safety. Time will tell if the decision allows him to keep playing the role in which he wishes to play.

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