Jamal Adams was waiting for an opportunity like this. When it came in the form of a text from Aaron Glenn, "it was a no-brainer for me," Adams said Monday.
The former All-Pro safety took the field for his first practice with the Lions and repped with the linebackers. This was no mistake. Glenn's defense is hurting at that position, and Adams has the versatility -- and the proven ability -- to play in the box and attack the quarterback.
"I just feel like I can do a little bit of everything," Adams said. "Whatever they ask me to do, I’m definitely going to do it to the best of my ability and just fly around and continue to make plays.”
Adams and Glenn go back several years. As the defensive backs coach of the Saints in 2017, Glenn coordinated Adams' Pro Day when he was coming out of LSU: "He ran the show, and I was doing the drills," Adams said. "From that point on, we’ve always kept a close connection.
"A hell of a coach, as everybody knows, but an even better person," Adams said.
Adams would be drafted sixth overall by the Jets, and quickly blossomed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. A Brian Branch-like assassin, he had 21.5 sacks and 39 tackles for loss on top of 28 passes defended over his first four seasons. He landed a $70 million deal with the Seahawks following a seismic trade. Then, injuries.
A groin issue plagued Adams in 2020, his first year in Seattle, followed by a shoulder problem in 2021. A torn quad tendon cost him all but one game in 2022. A knee injury slowed him last year and led to his release from the Seahawks, with two years remaining on his deal. He signed for the vet minimum with the Titans, sustained a hip injury and requested his release from the team in October.
Adams went home to train in Dallas and hoped to get a call from a playoff-bound team. When it came from Glenn, Adams missed it.
“It was a text, but my agent and my pops called me and they were like, ‘Hey, man, answer your phone!’ I’m like, ‘Answer my phone? For what? What’s going on?'" Adams said.
"AG!" they told him.
"I'm like, 'AG? With Detroit?!'" Adams said.
"So, it was cool. Just to be here, I’m very fortunate," he said.
The Lions' plans for Adams aren't yet clear, but it was telling that he practiced with the linebackers on Monday. Dan Campbell hinted Monday morning at deploying Adams as an outside linebacker on pass-rushing downs, which would also allow him to drop into coverage. He could be a more specialized version of Derrick Barnes in Detroit's defense. The Lions have also lost Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez from their linebackers corps.
Adams doesn't have a sack in the last four seasons, but his production as a pass-rusher still speaks for itself.
“Honestly, I think it goes way back to elementary (school) when I was playing capture the flag," Adams said. "Just flying around and having fun at recess."
The Lions are set at safety with Branch and Kerby Joseph, and it's a stretch to think that Adams could still man the deep part of the field. He's likely to play closer to the line of scrimmage if and when he gets into a game. He's on the practice squad for now. Asked how quickly he might be able to get ready, he smiled and said, "We’ll see."
Adams, 29, knows he's closer to the end of his career than the beginning. His motivation in joining the Lions, on top of wanting to win a Super Bowl, isn't "to prove anybody wrong or prove anything to anybody, more so just to myself to go back out there and continue to make plays and do what I’ve always done."
"Obviously injuries have taken a toll," he said, "and I’ve been through the fire with it."
Adams has kept an eye on Glenn and the Lions from afar. Coming off a trip to the conference title game, Detroit is first in the NFC at 11-1 and leads the NFL by a wide margin in point differential. The defense is third in scoring. Asked about his new team, Adams grinned: "They've been kicking everybody’s ass."
"So I’m fortunate enough, again, just to be on a team that’s rolling like this," Adams said.
Adams has played in just one postseason game in his eight-year career: a loss to Jared Goff and the Rams in 2021 when Goff came off the bench with a broken thumb. He signed with the Lions to play in another -- and a couple more after that for good measure.
"Man, again, it’s a dream come true. They didn’t have to call me, they didn’t need me, they’ve been doing phenomenal," he said. "So just to get that call from a first-class organization like the Detroit Lions, it’s a no-brainer for me. Again, wherever they want me out there, whenever they call my name and call my number, I’m there."