Vikings' Adams out for 2026 season with knee injury
Jamal Adams will miss the 2026 season with a right knee injury he suffered Saturday in the Vikings' 13-10 preseason victory over the Giants, NFL Network's Ian Rapaport reported Sunday.
Coach Kevin O'Connell said he was "crushed" for Adams and that "we're going to miss him." O'Connell said early testing didn't look good, but the team wanted to wait for further imaging Sunday before making a definitive projection about how long Adams would be out.
The injury happened early in the second quarter when Adams stumbled in pass coverage with no contact and fell to the turf at MetLife Stadium. He rolled over and grabbed his right knee and was eventually carted from the sideline to the locker room. He was playing with the second-team defense at the time.
The Vikings signed Adams, 30, on the eve of training camp, in part because of his familiarity with general manager Nolan Teasley from their time together with the Seahawks. Adams was drafted as a safety by the Jets in 2017 and moved to linebacker last season with the Raiders, initially working at that position with the Vikings as well.
Injuries have plagued Adams for much of the second half of his career. He played only one game in 2022, nine in 2023 and five in 2024 before playing all 17 games as a part-time player with the Raiders last season.