Jamal Adams Carted Off With Right Knee Injury in Vikings Preseason Debut vs Giants

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Minnesota Vikings safety Jamal Adams suffered a serious right knee injury and was carted off the field during a preseason opener against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Adams went down on a non-contact play early in the second quarter of his Vikings debut, was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and head coach Kevin O’Connell said initial imaging did not look good as the team awaited further tests.

The injury overshadowed Minnesota’s 13-10 exhibition win — a night that also featured Kyler Murray’s first snaps as the Vikings’ starting quarterback and a touchdown throw from Giants starter Jaxson Dart in John Harbaugh’s sideline debut as New York’s coach.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from AP News, Sportsnet, Minnesota Vikings.com, The Athletic, and Minnesota Star Tribune coverage, August 15, 2026. A definitive diagnosis was pending further medical evaluation at time of publication.

What happened

Detail	Information
Date	Saturday, August 15, 2026
Venue	MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Week	NFL Preseason Week 1
Final	Vikings 13, Giants 10
Injury	Right knee, non-contact
When	Early second quarter
Outcome	Adams carted off, ruled out

Adams had played 11 defensive snaps before leaving. He recorded one tackle and an earlier tackle for loss on Giants running back Devin Singletary in the first quarter.

The injury occurred in pass coverage early in the second quarter. Reporters at the stadium described Adams going down while working over the middle of the field and grabbing at his right knee without contact from another player. Teammates including Josh Metellus, Byron Murphy Jr., and Theo Jackson visited Adams in the sideline medical tent. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores and several Vikings defenders also gathered around him before a cart arrived.

O’Connell was seen on the sideline comforting Adams, patting him on the back with a hand on his head, before Adams was taken to the locker room.

O’Connell’s postgame comments

O’Connell confirmed Adams had a right knee injury and declined to speculate on a specific diagnosis before additional imaging. He emphasized how difficult the moment was for a player who had quickly earned a meaningful role.

“We’ve absolutely loved his play style, his compete and he was genuinely carving out a significant role for himself,” O’Connell said, per Sportsnet. “It just kills you. It absolutely guts you. … Just absolutely crushed for him.”

On the Vikings’ television broadcast at halftime, O’Connell added: “You’re just crushed for him. The role that he was kind of paving for himself and then just having the personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time, we’re going to miss him. And we’re going to need to see some guys here step up.”

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that O’Connell told reporters after the game that initial imaging did not look good — language that typically signals concern about a significant structural injury, though the team had not announced a final diagnosis.

Adams’s path to Minnesota

Adams signed with the Vikings on July 28, 2026, on the eve of training camp — his fifth NFL team in four years after stints with the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Career snapshot	Detail
Draft	No. 6 overall, 2017 (Jets)
Pro Bowls	Three (2018–2020)
All-Pro	First team, 2019
Notable record	NFL single-season sacks by a defensive back (9½), 2020 (Seahawks)
2025 (Raiders)	Converted to linebacker; 45 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack in 17 games
Vikings role	Hybrid safety/linebacker under Brian Flores

Once a dominant blitzer and tackler — 443 tackles, 43 for loss, and 21.5 sacks across 70 starts from 2017–21 — Adams saw his availability collapse after 2021. He played just 15 games from 2022–24 before a partial rebound with Las Vegas last season.

The Vikings brought him in as a versatile chess piece in Flores’s defense, similar to how Joshua Metellus rotates between safety and linebacker spots. Adams initially wore No. 54 and was listed as a linebacker, but switched to No. 32 in early August so he could take reps at both positions — a change O’Connell signaled to Adams in a passing conversation outside the practice facility.

“I was telling some people inside the training room, just to have somebody believe in me again, and to know I can go back there and play the safety position, it feels great,” Adams said during camp, per Vikings.com. “I can kind of do it all in the back end. I just want to be versatile and do anything I can to help the team.”

Camp observers noted Adams’s physicality and quick integration into Flores’s scheme. He lined up in the box, over the slot, and as a deep safety alongside Metellus before Saturday’s game.

The game around the injury

Minnesota’s exhibition win was otherwise a mixed bag of first impressions.

Kyler Murray, named the starter four days earlier, played one series in his Vikings debut — 2 of 3 for 10 yards before a field goal drive. J.J. McCarthy, now the backup, went 4 of 7 for 34 yards after a shaky opening possession.

For New York, Jaxson Dart was sacked twice on six drop-backs, visited the blue medical tent for a concussion evaluation, then returned to throw a 15-yard touchdown to rookie Malachi Fields on his final snap — 3 of 4 for 26 yards on the night.

Receiver Myles Price had four catches for 51 yards, including a one-handed touchdown from Carson Wentz in the third quarter. Odell Beckham Jr., back with the franchise that drafted him, made two catches in his Giants return.

The Vikings also lost backup quarterback Max Brosmer to a right thumb injury; O’Connell said further tests were planned.

Impact on the Vikings defense

Adams’s injury leaves a hole in a secondary already managing questions at safety.

Jay Ward missed multiple camp practices before the opener, and rookie Jakobe Thomas did not participate in team drills at times during the week. Harrison Smith, the longtime Vikings safety, has not committed to returning for a 15th season — leaving Metellus, Murphy, Jackson, and depth pieces to absorb Adams’s planned hybrid snaps.

Flores’s defense relies on unpredictable pre-snap looks and positional flexibility. Adams was competing for a roster spot but had clearly moved beyond camp curiosity — O’Connell’s postgame remarks framed him as a player who had already secured a significant role.

If Adams misses extended time or the full season, Minnesota loses a veteran who could blitz, cover, and play downhill in the box — exactly the profile Flores has used to elevate Metellus.

Adams’s injury history

Adams has battled injuries repeatedly since his peak years in New York and Seattle:

Period	Availability
2017–21	70 starts; elite production
2022–24	15 games total across four teams
2025	Full 17-game season with Raiders after position switch
Aug. 15, 2026	Carted off in Vikings preseason debut

A non-contact knee injury on turf at MetLife Stadium raises immediate concern about ligament damage, though the Vikings had not confirmed specifics. Adams’s recent durability with Las Vegas had offered hope that the 30-year-old (turning 31 in October) could extend his career in a specialized role.

What comes next

The Vikings will conduct further imaging and likely issue an official injury designation in the days ahead. Preseason Week 1 continues across the league while Minnesota evaluates who can fill Adams’s hybrid snaps behind Metellus and Murphy.

Minnesota opens the regular season on September 13 at home against the Green Bay Packers. O’Connell’s immediate challenge is depth: replacing a camp standout who, in one preseason half, looked like a rare veteran reclamation project — until a single step ended his debut.

---

Discussion

Adams arrived in Minnesota as a reclamation story — a three-time Pro Bowler fighting for a hybrid role under a creative defensive coordinator. One non-contact play changed that narrative.

1. How much does losing Jamal Adams hurt a Vikings defense that already had questions at safety with Jay Ward injured and Harrison Smith’s future uncertain?

Adams was carving out a real role in less than three weeks. Can Metellus, Murphy, and Jackson cover the hybrid snaps Flores had planned — or does Minnesota need to look outside the roster?

2. After injuries limited Adams to 15 games from 2022–24, he played all 17 with Las Vegas in 2025. Does Saturday’s knee injury end his chance at a late-career revival in Minnesota — or is it too early to write off a player who just found a scheme that fit?

Share whether you think Adams can return this season — and who on the Vikings’ secondary should step up if he cannot.

---