The Minnesota Vikings are heading into training camp with a couple of notable headlines already attached to the week: a new veteran defender has arrived, and one of the franchise’s biggest stars is headed for the Ring of Honor.
The team announced Tuesday that Jamal Adams has signed for the 2026 season. Minnesota is listing him as a linebacker, though most of his NFL work has come at safety. Adams enters his 10th season in the league as a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a First-Team All-Pro from 2019.
His career résumé is a long one. In 102 games with 87 starts, Adams has piled up 546 tackles, 22.5 sacks, 44 quarterback hits and four interceptions. He played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025 and the Detroit Lions in 2024.
What Adams’ arrival means for Harrison Smith remains unresolved. Smith is currently a free agent and could either come back for his 15th season or retire.
Training camp itself gets rolling this week at TCO Performance Center. Rookies and select veterans reported Sunday, with the rest of the roster due Tuesday.
Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Nolan Teasley are scheduled to speak at a 12:30 p.m. news conference to address camp, the quarterback situation and updates on several players. The first practice open to fans is set for Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings also made another announcement with a much more familiar face. Adrian Peterson will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Nov. 9, when Minnesota hosts the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Peterson will be the 29th member of the Vikings’ Ring of Honor. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Oklahoma, he spent 10 seasons in Minnesota and left behind franchise records in carries with 2,418, yards with 11,747 and touchdowns with 97. He was named NFL MVP in 2012 after rushing for 2,097 yards.
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Former Vikings Pass Rusher Is Raising Health Concerns Again
Jonathan Greenards move out of Minnesota was supposed to be a clean fresh start after the Vikings sent him to Philadelphia and the Eagles locked him into a four-year extension. Instead, the former Vikings pass rusher is already dealing with another health issue, landing on the Eagles Physically Unable to Perform list as training camp gets underway. For a player brought in to help anchor the edge, it is an early setback that immediately puts his availability in the spotlight.
The concern is not just the designation itself, but the uncertainty around what comes next. Greenard is dealing with a pectoral injury suffered in camp, and the timing of it has not been made clear, while Philadelphia has not said whether it will cost him regular-season games. After a winter that already included shoulder surgery, this is the kind of update the Eagles were hoping to avoid, and it leaves one of their biggest offseason additions in a waiting game. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin O'Connell Just Delivered The Christian Darrisaw Update Vikings Needed
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The next checkpoint comes when camp opens to fans on August 1, when Darrisaw is expected to be out there fully in practice. For Minnesota, the encouraging part is not just that he is back on the field, but that his presence should help settle protection plans and raise the ceiling for the offense as a whole, even if the bigger question now is how quickly that comfort translates once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Real Jalen Redmond Contract Decision
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Redmond is still on a team-friendly path for now, but the Vikings are approaching the kind of decision that comes when a player outperforms his contract and the market keeps climbing around him. If they believe his breakout was the start of something bigger, this is the window to act before his price tag starts looking a lot less manageable. [Read more 🡒]