Jamal Adams has found another NFL home, and the fit looks tailor-made.
The former Raiders linebacker announced Monday that he is signing with the Minnesota Vikings for his 10th NFL season, ending a stretch of uncertainty that had left him without a team for months. For Adams, who spent last season in Las Vegas after moving from safety to linebacker, the move gives him a fresh chance to keep his career going. For Minnesota, it adds a versatile defender who can still do a little bit of everything.
That versatility is exactly why the Vikings make sense. New Minnesota general manager Nolan Teasley was in the Seattle front office when the team made the blockbuster trade for Adams, so there is already familiarity there.
More important is the scheme waiting for him. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores runs an aggressive, pressure-heavy defense that leans on fast, physical players who can hit, blitz and cover.
That description fits Adams well after his transition to linebacker with the Raiders.
Flores also has the kind of system that can blur the line between linebacker and defensive back, which plays directly into Adams’ strengths. He can drop into coverage, handle the flats, rush the passer and help against the run. That kind of usage is exactly what Minnesota can ask of him.
The Raiders were never likely to be his long-term landing spot. Adams’ future in Las Vegas was tied to Pete Carroll, and the team spent the offseason rebuilding.
A player heading into his age-31 season did not line up with that timeline. Even so, Adams was one of the few defensive pieces for the Silver and Black who was not a net negative during the 2025 NFL season, and he handled his role as well as he could.
He is no longer a player you build a defense around, but he can still help. If he can clean up the missed tackle issues that kept him off the field at times last year in Las Vegas, he may be able to extend his career even further.
Adams’ arrival at Raiders HQ was confusing and a bit disconcerting, but he quickly worked his way into the fanbase’s good graces. Now he gets another shot, and this one looks like a perfect fit.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Just Got A Telling AFC West Camp Reality Check
Training camp across the AFC West is already offering a reminder that the Raiders are not just building their own roster, they are trying to close the gap on a division that never stands still. Denver has a new training facility, Kansas City is juggling staff and personnel questions, and the Chargers are leaning hard into continuity as they get ready for another run, which means Las Vegas has to track more than its own depth chart this summer.
For the Raiders, the early division picture is useful because it shows where the pressure points may be. The Broncos still have some long-term questions up front, the Chiefs are sorting through uncertainty at several spots on both sides of the ball, and the Chargers are banking on healthy key pieces returning to form. None of that settles the AFC West race, but it does give Las Vegas a clearer sense of where the openings might be if it wants to make a move. [Read more 🡒]
These Raiders UDFAs Have A Real Shot To Survive Camp
Training camp has a way of sorting out the long shots from the real contenders, and the Raiders have a few undrafted free agents who already look like they belong in the conversation. Las Vegas brought in 17 UDFAs this offseason, and the early read is that Kansei Matsuzawa, Roman Hemby and Cian Slone each have a plausible route to sticking around if they keep showing up in camp and preseason action.
Matsuzawa may have the cleanest opening because of what he already brings as a kicker, while Hemby and Slone fit the kind of depth-chasing the Raiders need as the roster takes shape. None of those paths are guaranteed, of course, and that is the point of this part of camp: every rep matters, every preseason snap matters, and for a few undrafted players, the next few weeks could decide whether they are still in the building when the final cuts arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Still Have Two Starting Jobs That Could Change Everything
The Raiders spent most of the offseason settling their depth chart, leaving far fewer questions than they had a few months ago. On offense and defense, the starting picture is largely in place, but the interior of the offensive line is still unsettled enough to matter. Both guard spots remain open heading into training camp, and that makes the next few weeks a real test for a unit that can shape how steady the whole offense looks.
Kevin Kubiak has made it clear the decision will not come down to one flashy practice or a single strong rep. Consistency, versatility, pass protection, run blocking and how well each player fits with the rest of the line all figure into the mix, which is exactly why this battle could linger for a while. The Raiders also have to wait before the physical part of camp really ramps up, so this is the kind of competition that should reveal itself gradually rather than all at once. [Read more 🡒]