Jamal Adams
Jamal Lee Adams (born October 17, 1995) is an American football strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted sixth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Adams quickly became an impactful starter for the Jets, making the Pro Bowl twice and being named an All-Pro, but after conflict with the Jets' management, he demanded a trade and was sent to Seattle prior to the 2020 season.
Adams with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
No. 33 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Strong safety | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
Born: | Lewisville, Texas | October 17, 1995||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||
High school: | Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) | ||||||||||||||||
College: | LSU | ||||||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
Adams attended Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. While there, he played high school football. During his final two years, he had 138 tackles and seven interceptions on defense and 20 touchdowns on offense. In his senior year, Hebron finished 8–4 on the season, advancing to the UIL 5A Division II Area final at AT&T Stadium, where they lost 42–21 to Cedar Hill.[1]
Adams was rated by Scout.com as a five star recruit and was ranked among the top ten overall recruits in his class.[2] He committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football.[3][4]
College career
Adams played in all 13 games with two starts as a true freshman at LSU in 2014 and had 66 tackles and a sack.[5][6] As a sophomore, he was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a safety by the Associated Press (AP) and SEC coaches.[7][8] As a junior, Adams was named to the AP All-SEC first team.[9]
On January 6, 2017, Adams announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[10]
Professional career
Coming out of college, Adams was invited to the NFL Combine and performed all the available drills. On May 4, 2017, Adams attended LSU's pro day and opted to run the 40-yard dash (4.33s) and was able to improve on his combine numbers significantly.[11] He was projected to be a first round pick by the majority of analysts and scouts. Sports Illustrated, DraftScout.com, Pro Football Focus, and ESPN ranked Adams the top safety in the draft.[12][13][14]
External video | |
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Jamal Adams' NFL Combine workout | |
Jamal Adams' 40-yard dash | |
Adams' 40-yard dash at LSU Pro Day |
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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5 ft 11 3⁄4 in (1.82 m) |
214 lb (97 kg) |
33 3⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
9 1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.56 s | 1.60 s | 2.67 s | 4.13 s | 6.96 s | 31 1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 18 reps | |
All values from 2017 NFL Combine.[15][16] |
The New York Jets selected Adams in the first round with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.[17] He was the first defensive back selected in 2017.
External video | |
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Jets select Jamal Adams sixth overall | |
Jamal Adams draft profile |
2017
On July 20, 2017, the Jets signed Adams to a fully guaranteed four-year, $22.25 million contract that included a $14.32 million signing bonus.[18][19][20]
Adams entered training camp competing against Calvin Pryor and fellow rookie Marcus Maye for a role as a starting safety.[21] Head coach Todd Bowles named Adams the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside free safety Maye.[22]
Adams made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Jets season-opener versus the Buffalo Bills and recorded five combined tackles and deflected a pass in a 21–12 loss. Adams made his first career tackle on running back Mike Tolbert after his 13-yard run on the Bills' first drive.[23] On September 24, Adams recorded two solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career sack on quarterback Jay Cutler during a 20–6 win against the Miami Dolphins.[24] In Week 17, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection in the Jets' 26–6 loss to the New England Patriots.[25] Adams finished his rookie season in 2017 with 83 combined tackles (63 solo), six pass deflections, and two sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.[26]
2018
Adams was named a captain on the Jets' roster for the 2018 season.[27] He got his first career interception off of Matt Cassel at the Jets' season opener versus the Detroit Lions. The Jets ultimately won the game 48–17.[28] Adams finished his second season with 115 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles with one recovered fumble, and one interception and started all 16 games.[29]
On December 18, Adams was named a Pro Bowl selection for the first time in his career.[30] Adams was named Defensive MVP of the game.[31][32] Adams became notorious after an incident where he tackled the New England Patriots mascot at a 2019 Pro Bowl practice. This was due to the fierce rivalry of the Jets and Patriots. Adams apologized and let the Patriots mascot tackle him back.[33]
Adams was also named Second-team AP All-Pro during this season. On December 28, Adams was named Curtis Martin Team MVP.[34]
2019
Before the 2019 season, Adams was ranked 37th among his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 2019 list.[35]
On September 18, 2019, Adams was fined $21,000 for a hit he made on Baker Mayfield on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.[36][37] In Week 3 versus the New England Patriots, Adams recorded a 61-yard pick six off rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the 30–14 loss. This was Adams' first interception of the season and his first career pick six.[38] On October 10, Adams had his previous fine rescinded after winning an appeal.[39]
During the NFL trade deadline, Adams voiced his displeasure regarding his name coming up in trade talks. He stated that the Los Angeles Rams would never trade Aaron Donald and the New England Patriots would never trade Tom Brady. Adams also said that when he found out that he was close to being traded, he would have loved to play for the Dallas Cowboys because he was from Dallas and because of his close relationship to former Cowboys' wide receiver Michael Irvin. In the end, Adams revealed that although he was hurt to be involved in trade talks, he was still excited to play for the Jets.[40]
In Week 10 against the New York Giants, Adams recorded a team-high nine tackles and sacked Daniel Jones twice, one of which was a strip sack that he forced and returned for a 25-yard touchdown, as the Jets won 34–27 win.[41] He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[42] During Week 11 versus the Washington Redskins, Adams finished with a career high three sacks as the Jets won 34–17.[43] During a game versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Adams suffered an ankle injury at the start of the game.[44] He played the entire game and had to miss the next two weeks due to this injury. He came back from his injury in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Jets' 16–10 win.[45] At the end of the season, he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and was honored with his first career First-Team AP selection.[46][47] Adams also earned the Curtis Martin Team MVP for the second straight year.[48]
On April 17, 2020, it was reported that Adams would skip the entirety of the voluntary virtual offseason program without a contract extension.[49] On April 27, 2020, the Jets picked up the fifth-year option on Adams' contract.[50] On June 12, 2020, Adams replied to an Instagram post stating that the Jets were "A lot of talk no action" regarding his desire for a contract extension.[51] On June 18, 2020, Adams officially requested to be traded from the Jets. Adams created a list of teams, including his hometown Dallas Cowboys, that he would welcome to be traded to.[52] The following week, Jets' head coach Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams expressed that they wanted to keep Adams.[53] Adams was interviewed by the New York Daily News in July 2020, and he made critical remarks towards his head coach Adam Gase, saying that he was not the right leader for the Jets moving forward and that he did not build good relationships with people in the building. Adams also voiced his displeasure with how general manager Joe Douglas treated him during talks of a potential contract extension.[54] He was ranked 27th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[55]
2020
On July 25, 2020, Adams, along with a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for safety Bradley McDougald, first- and third-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, and a first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.[56]
Adams made his debut with the Seahawks in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. During the game, Adams led the Seahawks with 12 tackles (8 solo) and recorded his first sack of the season on Matt Ryan in the 38–25 win.[57] In the following week's game against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, Adams recorded nine tackles and sacked Cam Newton once during the 35–30 win.[58] In Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, Adams suffered a groin injury and did not return. Adams came back from injury in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills. During the game, Adams recorded 1.5 sacks on Josh Allen during the 44–34 loss.[59] In the following week's game against the Los Angeles Rams, Adams recorded two sacks on Jared Goff, including a strip sack that was recovered by the Seahawks, during the 23–16 loss.[60] In Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, Adams led the team with 9 tackles and recorded one sack on Carson Wentz during the 23–17 win.[61] In Week 14 against his former team, the New York Jets, Adams recorded a sack on former teammate Sam Darnold during the 40–3 win. This was Adams' 8.5th sack on the season, breaking the NFL record for most sacks in a season by a defensive back.[62] Against the Washington Football Team, Adams expanded his hold on the record with another sack, bringing his season total to 9.5 sacks.
Adams was named to his third straight Pro Bowl on December 21, 2020. Adams and teammate Quandre Diggs became the first safety tandem to make the Pro Bowl together since former Seahawks safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor in 2015.[63]
NFL career statistics
Records and achievements
NFL Records
Most sacks in a single season by a defensive back in NFL history: 9.5[64]
Personal life
His father, running back George Adams, played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1991.[65] Adams is also a pescatarian.[66]
References
- Thomas, Justin (November 24, 2013). "No vacancy: Lodge, Cedar Hill keep Hebron out of third round of playoffs". Carrollton Leader. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- "Jamal Adams, New York Jets, Safety". 247Sports. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Holland, EJ (January 2, 2014). "5-star Hebron safety Jamal Adams commits to LSU over Florida: 'I'm ready to go win some national championships'". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Dellenger, Ross (January 9, 2014). "Surprise, Les: Jamal Adams commits to LSU". The Advocate. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Ching, David (March 16, 2015). "Early success has helped LSU's Jamal Adams grab starting spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Higgins, Ron (August 26, 2015). "LSU safety Jamal Adams hits anything that moves: Ron Higgins". NOLA.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "2015 Associated Press All-SEC football team". College Football. Associated Press. December 14, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- Kalland, Robby (December 8, 2015). "2015 Coaches' All-SEC Team: Alabama leads the way with 10 selections". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- "It's a Sweep: No 1. Alabama Cleans up on AP All-SEC Team". ABC News. Associated Press. December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- Goodbread, Chase (January 6, 2017). "LSU's Jamal Adams declares his intention to enter 2017 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- rdellenger@theadvocate.com, ROSS DELLENGER |. "Former LSU star Jamal Adams blazes 40 time after he nearly 'peed' himself at NFL combine". The Advocate. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- Burke, Chris (April 24, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". si.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "Top 32 Prospects For the 2017 NFL Draft". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- Legwold, Jeff (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the Top 100 Prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Jamal Adams". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "*Jamal Adams, DS #1 SS, LSU". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Sessler, Marc (April 27, 2017). "Jets select LSU safety Jamal Adams with sixth pick". NFL.com.
- Cimini, Rich (July 20, 2017). "Jamal Adams finalizes rookie deal with Jets". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- Waszak Jr., Dennis (August 9, 2017). "Jets' rookie safeties Adams, Maye looking more like vets". The Turbine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- "Spotrac.com: Jamal Adams contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- Barbato, Matt (May 7, 2017). "Jets' Todd Bowles says Calvin Pryor better not be afraid of competition". all22.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- "The Jets Opening Day Depth Chart". ganggreennation. September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- "NFL Game Center: Week1-2017: New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- "NFL Game Center: Week 3-2017: Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- "NFL Player stats: Jamal Adams (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- "NFL Player stats: Jamal Adams (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- Costello, Brian (September 28, 2018). "Why Todd Bowles finally selected five Jets captains". New York Post. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- Cimini, Rich (September 11, 2018). "Jets LB on Matt Stafford: 'We knew his signals; we knew everything'". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
Claiborne, Jamal Adams and Trumaine Johnson also made interceptions. For Adams, the 2017 first-round pick, it was the first of his career.
- "Jamal Adams 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- Allen, Eric (December 18, 2018). "Jamal Adams Is Pro Bowl Bound". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Lange, Randy (January 27, 2019). "Jamal Adams Named Defensive MVP in AFC Pro Bowl Win". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "Jets' Jamal Adams wins Defensive MVP Award in Pro Bowl". SNY. January 27, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Gardner, Steve (January 24, 2019). "Jets' Jamal Adams crushes Patriots mascot at Pro Bowl event, says he was 'just having fun'". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Lange, Randy (December 29, 2018). "Jamal Adams Named Jets' 2018 Curtis Martin Team MVP". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "Jamal Adams Named No. 37 on NFL Top 100 List". newyorkjets.com. July 28, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Bergman, Jeremy (September 19, 2019). "NFL confirms Jets' Jamal Adams will be fined for late hit". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Abdeldaiem, Alaa (September 18, 2019). "Jamal Adams Says NFL is 'a Damn Joke' After Being Fined for Hit on Baker Mayfield". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "Brady, Patriots defense shine in 30-14 win over Jets". espn.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- Patra, Kevin (October 10, 2019). "Jamal Adams wins appeal of fine for hit on Mayfield". NFL.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- Newport, Kyle (October 30, 2019). "Jets' Jamal Adams on Trade Rumors: Doesn't Happen to Tom Brady, Aaron Donald". www.bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "Eww York: Darnold, Jets hold on to beat Jones, Giants 34-27". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- Bergman, Jeremy (November 13, 2019). "Jamal Adams, Jadeveon Clowney among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- "Sam Darnold throws 4 TD passes, Jets rout Redskins 34-17". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 17, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Vasquez, Andy (December 1, 2019). "NY Jets' Jamal Adams emotional after suffering foot injury in loss to Bengals". North Jersey. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Lange, Randy (December 22, 2019). "Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Jets D Win the Battle vs. the Steelers". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Landis, Olivia (December 17, 2019). "Jamal Adams Is Pro Bowl Bound For a Second Consecutive Year". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Greenberg, Ethan (January 3, 2020). "Jets S Jamal Adams Named First Team All-Pro". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Lange, Randy (December 27, 2019). "Jamal Adams Receives 2nd Consecutive Curtis Martin Team MVP Award". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "Jets' Jamal Adams expected to skip voluntary virtual program". www.espn.com. April 17, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- Mehta, Manish. "Jets exercising Jamal Adams' fifth-year option: source". nydailynews.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- Benjamin, Cody (June 13, 2020). "Jamal Adams says Jets haven't made any contract extension offers: 'A lot of talk, no action'". www.cbssports.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Cimini, Rich (June 18, 2020). "Star safety Jamal Adams requests trade from Jets, source says". www.espn.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Cimini, Rich (June 26, 2020). "Jets head coach Adam Gase wants disgruntled Jamal Adams on team". www.espn.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Mehta, Manish (July 24, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Jamal Adams opens up about a surreal offseason — An inexperienced GM, an absentee head coach and broken promises". www.nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- "'Top 100 Players of 2020': Jamal Adams". www.nfl.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- Boyle, John (July 25, 2020). "Seahawks Acquire All-Pro Safety Jamal Adams In Trade With Jets". Seahawks.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- "Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- "New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks - September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- "Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills - November 8th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams – November 15th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- "Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles - November 30th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- "Adams sets DB sacks mark as Seattle routs Jets". ESPN.com. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- "NFL reveals complete AFC, NFC rosters for 2021 Pro Bowl". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- {{NFL.com. 2020. Seahawks' Jamal Adams Sets Single-Season Record For Most Sacks By A DB In Win Over Jets. [online] Available at: <https://www.nfl.com/news/seahawks-jamal-adams-sets-record-for-most-single-season-sacks-by-a-db-in-win-ove> [Accessed 15 December 2020].}}
- Rodrigue, Marcus; Mickles, Sheldon; Rabalais, Scott (October 1, 2015). "New York connections: LSU safety Jamal Adams has some". The Advocate. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Jussim, Matthew. "The MJ5: Jets Safety Jamal Adams on His Essential Recovery Gear, Why He Loves Monte Carlo, and More". Men's Journal. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Seattle Seahawks bio
- LSU Tigers bio
- Jamal Adams on Twitter