Jamal Adams is joining his 6th team in 10 years, and this one might actually make sense. Jordan Schultz broke the news that the 3-time All-Pro safety is signing with the Vikings, capping a wild stretch that saw one of the most physical defenders of his generation get shuffled around the league looking for a fit.
Jordan Schultz broke the signing, noting Adams' conversion to linebacker last season in Vegas.
Adams spent 2025 as a Raider trying something new: full-time linebacker after years at safety. It didn't exactly light the league on fire. He appeared in all 17 games, his first fully healthy season since 2018, but posted a modest line of 45 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 1 sack while grading out as a middle-of-the-pack linebacker per PFF. Solid, unspectacular, and clearly not the disruptive force he was during his peak seasons in Seattle and New York.
The news rippled out fast once Adams' signing was confirmed.
The Vikings landing spot is the interesting part. Minnesota's defensive coordinator Brian Flores has built a career scheming up chaos with hybrid, do-everything defenders, guys who can play in the box, blitz off the edge, or drop into coverage depending on the week. That's Adams' whole game when he's right. Schultz added that Adams himself was drawn to the opportunity because of Flores' track record with players in that exact mold.
Schultz's follow-up explained why Adams was specifically drawn to Flores' scheme.
Jamal Adams liked the opportunity to have a chance to earn a role with a Brian Flores defense, which has a history of utilizing players like him…
There's also a front-office thread worth noting: Vikings GM Nolan Teasley overlapped with Adams in Seattle from 2020 through 2023, which almost certainly greased the wheels here. Terms of the deal haven't been reported, but at 30 years old and 6 teams deep, this reads less like a big-money splash and more like a prove-it reunion with people who already believe in him.
For Minnesota, it's a low-risk swing on a name that still commands respect in NFL locker rooms even if the box score numbers have faded. If Flores can unlock the version of Adams that terrorized quarterbacks in Seattle, the Vikings just added a wild card to an already aggressive defense. If not, it's a depth move that cost them little. Either way, expect Adams to get plenty of run wherever Flores decides hybrid chaos is needed most.