The NFL preseason just dropped a brutal blow: Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jamal Adams has a torn right quad and he’s out for the entire 2026 season. This absolutely gut-wrenching news came down after Adams was carted off with a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Giants. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert was on it with the initial diagnosis, and then Ian Rapoport confirmed Sunday that Adams’ season is officially done before it even truly began.
The Sideline Gut Punch That Changes Everything
Adams was only in for 11 defensive snaps, but he still flashed that classic playmaking ability with a terrific tackle for loss on Devin Singletary late in the first quarter. Right after that, he was examined in the medical tent before getting carted off the field, and that’s when the gravity of it hit. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was right there, trying to comfort Adams, and his words after the game told the whole story. O’Connell said, “Jamal has done such an unbelievable job coming here. You feel his passion every single day.” He added that the team is “crushed for him, the role he was kind of paving for himself and then just having a personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time.”
The Vikings signed Adams on July 28, specifically to boost their linebacker depth. He was even getting reps at his old safety spot. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unique scheme was supposed to be a perfect fit for Adams, leveraging his ability to shift between the second- and third-levels of the defense. Now, O’Connell admits, “We’re going to miss him. We’re going to need to see some guys here step up.”
A Promising Comeback Derailed, Again
Man, you really hate to see this, especially after what Adams has been through. Just last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he appeared in all 17 games, the first time he’d played a full season since 2018. That was two more games than he had played in the previous three years combined! Talk about fighting your way back. Adams was the No. 6 overall pick back in the 2017 NFL draft, and he’s played for the New York Jets, our own Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, and the Raiders before landing in Minnesota. He was an All-Pro three straight years from 2018 to 2020. When he’s healthy, this guy is a beast. O’Connell summed it up, saying, “what I told Jamal is our organization, we’ve got our arms wrapped around him. And he’s a part of this thing. But you absolutely hate to see that.”
Now, the Vikings have to scramble. They brought Adams in to be a leader, a versatile piece, and that’s all gone. With the regular season right around the corner, Minnesota is staring down a massive hole in their defense and needs to find some serious answers, fast. It’s a brutal reality check, even for preseason.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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