Seattle Seahawks star safety Jamal Adams is done for the season due to a torn left quadriceps tendon that will force him to undergo surgery and be placed on injured reserve, according to a league source.
It’s a crushing blow for Adams and a Seahawks defense that relies on his unique pass rushing skills and explosive hitting ability.
How the Seahawks are proceeding without Adams
This isn’t an unexpected medical outcome for Adams, who blasted former teammate Russell Wilson on a blitz Monday night and was carted off the field.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll immediately announced that it was “a serious injury.”
“It sucks, man,” Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs said after the game. “This guy’s had a hell of a camp, he’s had a hell of offseason, and you hate to see it, especially with Jamal being one of my closest friends. It’s tough. We kind of had the same offseason where it was just rehab and trying to get back to be the leaders of this team and the leaders of this defense.
“It’s just hard to imagine. You go out there and you always have that doubt, like ‘Am I ready? Am I ready to go?’ And then you got there just let it loose. It sucks the way it happened, and it sucks for him personally, because I know how much work he put in this past offseason and I know mentally he was in great space. He was the most comfortable he’s been around here. It just sucks to see. I love him.”
According to a league source, the Seahawks signed cornerback Teez Tabor off of the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.
Their primary plan at safety to replace Adams is leaning on Josh Jones as the new starter. This marks the second time he’s stepped in for Adams, replacing him last year when he tore his labrum.
A former Green Bay Packers second-round draft pick from North Carolina State, Jones has bounced around the league before finding a home in Seattle. He was cut by the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts before joining the Seahawks on their practice squad.
Jones will play next to Diggs, a Pro Bowl selection, on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
Another setback for Jamal Adams
This marks the latest setback for Adams and the Seahawks since one of the more lopsided trades in NFL history unfolded two years ago.
When the New York Jets traded Adams and a fourth-round draft pick to the Seahawks on July 25, 2020, the Seahawks exchanged safety Bradley McDougald, first-round and third-round draft picks in 2021, and a 2022 first-round selection.
It was a king’s ransom.
Although Adams — a pure strong safety — had 9 1/2 sacks in his first season and was named to his third Pro Bowl, the trade has gone in a reverse direction since the Seahawks rewarded him with a four-year, $72 million deal that included a $20 million signing bonus and $38 million guaranteed and made him the highest paid safety in the league at the time.
He tore his labrum last season against the 49ers and was placed on injured reserve. Now, Adams is sidelined again. Adams’ durability has been an issue. He has missed nine games in two seasons, and now he’s hurt again.
Under contract through 2025, Adams’ injury comes on the heels of the Seahawks trading away Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
A former fifth overall pick, Adams has two interceptions in two seasons with the Seahawks. He missed nine games, one more than his total of eight passes defensed.
Adams was hopeful heading into this season, telling a reporter: “I’m back in my element, man. I feel like I’m back playing defense.”
Now, he’s sidelined again, and the Seahawks are counting on Diggs and Jones to fill the void created by Adams’ injury.