The Minnesota Vikings signed veteran safety Jamal Adams to a one-year deal on Monday evening, right before training camp began. Now, we are getting a bit of insight as to why Adams chose the Vikings, as he met with the media on Wednesday afternoon.
Adams signed a one-year deal with the team and reunited with some friends in the process. The signing reunites Adams with general manager Nolan Teasley. Teasley worked for the Seattle Seahawks front office when they traded for Adams in the 2020 season.
With that being said, Teasley was not the only reason why Adams decided to come. Adams is also excited to work with defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Adams also made a bit of a bold statement when talking to the media, one that Vikings fans may enjoy. He was asked why he decided to come to the organization, and he gave an exciting answer.
“Nolan (Teasley) and B Flo. Simply put. Obviously, these guys have had a lot of success over the years. In my little short stint in Detroit, obviously just knowing about Minnesota and knowing about another division, this is a playoff football team over here, so I’m excited to be here.”
Adams had a productive season with the Las Vegas Raiders last year. He played in 17 games and recorded 45 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. He had 448 total defensive snaps and transitioned from safety to linebacker in the process.
Analytically, he did not have the best season. He had a 71.4 pass-rush grade, which ranked 20th among linebackers according to Pro Football Focus. He generated seven total pressures. In terms of coverage, he had a 69.2 coverage grade. This included a 98.6 passer rating when targeted. His run defense saw a bit of a dip as well. He posted a 62.3 run-defense grade. This put him 59th among linebackers, and included 12 missed tackles over the course of the season.
These numbers certainly reflect a tough transitional timeframe for Adams. Perhaps his variety of snaps did not exactly help things either. He had 382 snaps at inside linebacker, as well as 38 snaps at left edge and 28 snaps at right edge. To say that he was moved all over the place would be a bit of an understatement.
Analytics Could Benefit New Vikings Defender
Now, he will have a chance to work into the Vikings defense and find his role as a veteran playmaker. One of the things that could be worth watching is his play style with Brian Flores’s defense. Flores had a 51.2% blitz rate during the 2025 season, per stats from For The Numbers. This included a 63.2% blitz rate specifically out of nickel packages. Defenses like these often call for versatile players. Adams certainly showed that level of versatility last year.
It will be interesting to see exactly how he fits into the defense as a whole. The combination of Flores and Adams could be a match made in heaven for the Vikings. At the very least, it’s clear that Adams is happy to be with the organization and has high expectations for where this team could go. Of course, having familiarity with several others in the organization is never a bad thing. Either way, it seems as though he is ready to go.
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