The Vikings are adding another layer to Brian Flores’ defense before training camp even gets rolling, and this one comes with plenty of name recognition.
According to independent NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Minnesota is signing linebacker Jamal Adams. Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley was with the Seattle Seahawks during Adams’ run there from 2020 through 2023, which gives the move a familiar thread.
Adams entered the league as the New York Jets’ first-round pick in 2017 and wasted no time making noise. He earned three Pro Bowl nods in his first four seasons, along with a first-team All-Pro selection in 2019 and second-team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2020.
Over nine NFL seasons, Adams has piled up 546 tackles, 55 tackles for loss, 44 quarterback hits, 36 pass deflections, 22.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, four interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns in 102 games. Last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he logged 45 tackles, five tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack, and one forced fumble across 17 games.
The version of Adams Minnesota is getting now is a different player than the one who was piling up Pro Bowl trips early in his career. He made the move from safety to linebacker last season, and that shift is a big part of why this signing makes sense for the Vikings.
Flores should have plenty of ways to use him. Adams brings the kind of versatility that fits a defense built to keep offenses guessing - he can help against the run, rush the passer, and still handle coverage responsibilities.
A starting job doesn’t look like the most likely outcome for Adams in 2026 unless injuries open the door. For now, he looks like the kind of rotational linebacker who can give Minnesota real value in specific spots.
That matters because the competition at linebacker is already crowded heading into camp. Eric Wilson, Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., and rookie Jake Golday are all in the mix, and Adams adds another name to a battle that already had plenty of moving parts.
There’s also a chance Flores expands the experiment and uses Adams at safety or in the nickel in certain packages. If that happens, it could give Minnesota another wrinkle that forces offenses to adjust on the fly.
It’s not the kind of signing Vikings fans were expecting, but it’s easy to see the logic. Adams showed last season with the Raiders that he can handle the linebacker transition, and now the challenge is learning the defense quickly enough to make an impact right away.
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