Circumstances can change quickly in the NFL.
Less than three years ago, safety Jamal Adams signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Seahawks. Now, months after being released with time left on that deal, Adams has landed at the other end of the pro football pay scale.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Adams will receive a one-year, $1.125 million salary, with a signing bonus of $167,000.
It’s surprising but it isn’t. Adams has played only 22 games in the last three seasons. He last played a full season in 2018, his second year with the Jets.
A torn quadriceps tendon suffered in the first game of the 2022 season had him in a cast for 20 weeks. He has said he considered retirement following that injury. He ultimately fought his way back, playing in nine games last year.
A three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2019, Adams has shown that he can play at a high level. He also attacks the game with a reckless abandon that has tested, and at times has exceeded, the limits of human anatomy.
This year, he’ll have a chance to re-establish himself, in the hopes of getting something more significant in 2025.
The clock is ticking. He turns 29 in October. And even if he stays healthy and puts together a fourth Pro Bowl season in his first year with the Titans, teams will likely be skeptical that it’ll continue in 2025 and beyond.
But that’s why Adams pushed so hard for a second contract from the Seahawks, after not getting one from the Jets following his All-Pro season. He explained it at the press conference announcing the deal.
His father, George, had a pro football career cut short due to injuries. Jamal wanted the protection, and he got it.
Now, he’s playing not for money but because he loves the game. For only the league minimum, plenty of guys would walk away. Many would say Adams should probably do the same. He’s clearly got more work to do, and he’ll be doing it for at least another year.