Raiders sign safety Jamal Adams
Published 9:30 am Wednesday, July 23, 2025
The Las Vegas Raiders signed safety Jamal Adams, league and team sources confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday. Although it’s Adams’ first stint in Vegas, the signing is a reunion, of sorts. Raiders coach Pete Carroll was the coach in Seattle when the Seahawks gave up multiple first-round selections as part of a trade in 2020 to acquire Adams from the New York Jets.
The sixth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft entered the league with a lot of promise after a standout career at LSU. Adams delivered on that promise early, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2018 before being named first-team All-Pro in 2019. Following the 2019 season, Adams and the Jets had a public feud, centering around a contract dispute, as well as Adams making critical comments about the leadership brass in New York.
That led to Carroll’s Seahawks acquiring Adams from the Jets on July 25, 2020. The initial returns were solid for the Seahawks and Adams, as the safety made his third consecutive Pro Bowl and helped lead the Seahawks to an NFC West title. Adams signed an extension after the 2020 season to become, at the time, the highest-paid safety in NFL history.
However, adversity started to hit Adams in 2021. After 12 games, his season ended on injured reserve when he tore his labrum. His 2022 season lasted just one quarter before he tore a tendon in his quad. In 2023, Adams played just nine games, leading to the Seahawks releasing him after the season.
Adams signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans last offseason but played in just three games before being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. He was released by the Titans in mid-October and signed with the Detroit Lions for the final month of the 2024 season.
Adams, 29, has 21.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions in eight seasons in the NFL.
The Raiders signed Adams and cornerback JT Woods on Tuesday, according to a team source. Right before training camp starts Wednesday, general manager John Spytek and Carroll decided the secondary needed a boost.
While he was once an All-Pro caliber player, Adams has bounced around the last few years and is now on his third team since 2024. Since 2022, Adams has played in only 15 games. The Raiders are giving him the chance to show he can revive his career.
Throughout OTAs, the Raiders leaned on free safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and strong safety Jeremy Chinn as their starting duo on the back end. Most likely, Adams will be competing for a rotational spot as the third safety alongside Lonnie Johnson Jr. and others.
Woods was a third-round pick with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, but never got his career going. He played sparingly across two seasons before getting cut. This is his fourth team since 2024. The Raiders have a big need at nickelback, so that’s probably his best path to attempt to make the team.
