Jamal Adams’ Vikings stint hit a jarring pause on Saturday when the veteran defender was carted off the field during Minnesota’s preseason game against the Giants.
Adams had flashed early, showing the kind of burst that once made him one of the league’s most feared defensive backs. On one snap, he shot through the middle and blew up a handoff in the backfield.
But the good vibes didn’t last long. In the early second quarter, Adams went down while sprinting to his right in coverage, then immediately grabbed at his right knee after hitting the turf.
He was treated in the medical tent for what Ben Goessling described as “a long time” before the cart took him back to the locker room. The Vikings have not yet provided a specific update on the injury, but Kevin O’Connell’s halftime comments made it sound like Adams could be facing a lengthy absence.
“In just a short amount of time, Jamal has done such an unbelievable job. ... You're just crushed for him, the role he was kind of paving for himself and just having a personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time," O'Connell said.
"We're going to miss him and we're going to need to see some guys here step up. But what I told Jamal is our organization, we've got our arms around him.
And he's a part of this thing. But you absolutely hate to see that."
Adams’ injury came on a non-contact play, and he was seen clutching his right knee after falling to the ground. After the medical attention on the sideline, he was ruled out for the remainder of the moment by the cart ride to the locker room, though his official status remains unknown.
The injury is a tough break for a player who once sat among the NFL’s elite. Adams, now 30, was the Jets’ No. 6 overall pick in 2017 and earned three All-Pro nods during his years with New York and Seattle. Since then, his career has shifted into more of a journeyman path, and he joined the Vikings this offseason after spending the last few years moving between roles and teams.
Last season, Adams played linebacker for the Raiders, and that’s the position he had been working at for Minnesota in training camp. The Vikings signed him to a one-year deal before camp, hoping he could carve out a role in Kevin O’Connell’s 2026 defense. Instead, Saturday ended with Adams being helped off the field and Minnesota waiting on the next update.
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