The Detroit Lions were down several bodies in the secondary due to injuries to close the regular season. This led to veterans being added to fill the gaps until regular contributors were healthy enough to return for the postseason.
Naturally, throwing new faces into high-pressure situations to close the regular season yielded mixed results. Despite his impressive resume, one veteran was a complete non-factor and was given his walking papers after just two starts for the defense.
Now, Jamal Adams is looking to resurrect his career, yet again, in the AFC West as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. While the only real reasoning for his signing seemed to be his connection with new head coach Pete Carroll from their time together with the Seattle Seahawks, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the veteran safety has looked the part of a contributor early on in training camp.
Jamal Adams has been very impressive in @Raiders camp. Just a cannon ball in pass rush, and gets from here to there in the blink of an eye.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) August 5, 2025
Failed Lions Addition Jamal Adams Tearing it Up With Las Vegas Raiders
Needless to say, there is a big difference between standing out in a controlled practice setting and doing the same when competing against another team in a real game. If Adams can turn back the clock and be anything close to the player he once was, it would be a major win for the Raiders and Pete Carroll.
On the other hand, if this is an aberration and Adams is no different than what fans in Detroit remember seeing during his brief stint with the Lions, then there is no real reason for the Motor City to think of Adams ever again, especially given the message he sent after his deal with Las Vegas was agreed upon.
Before joining the Lions to close out the 2024 regular season, Adams was a member of the lowly Tennessee Titans and had to ask for his release after being moved to the team's reserve/non-football injury list after seeing the field for just 20 snaps over three games. Upon arriving in Detroit, Adams wasn't much better. He recorded just three tackles in two games before being released on Jan. 1, 2025.
Given the struggles Adams has had since suffering a torn quad tendon during Week 1 of the 2022 campaign, there likely weren't any other suitors for the safety had an offer from his former head coach not come along.
With the rest of the league kicking off their preseason schedules this weekend, the entire football world will see sooner rather than later just what Adams has left in the tank and whether this signing is a worthwhile one or a bust, like his time with the Lions was.