Former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams is set to make his season debut for the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night against the New York Giants. And ahead of the game, he recounted his recovery process, and shockingly admitted that he briefly considered retirement after his injury last season.
Adams’ 2022 season never even got started, suffering a torn left quadriceps tendon in the Seahawks’ season opener last year against the Denver Broncos.
He opened up about the injury to reporters on Friday, where he said that he was in a “dark place” after the injury, which had him questioning his future in the NFL.
“It was tough,” Adams said via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “I thought about retiring. I thought about a lot of things. Is this going to be it for me? I didn’t know. But I knew eventually, after I got that MRI, I told myself I’m going to be back. I didn’t know when or how, but I was going to figure it out.”
“I was having all types of thoughts running through my mind, but at the time when I did tear my knee, that was definitely something I was considering,” Adams added. “I was considering everything at the moment. I was in a dark place. Not anything suicidal, but definitely in a lot of dark times as far as getting away from the game of football, getting away from people. At the time I wasn’t really talking to many people, wasn’t answering my phone. So you go through real life situations in this game of football.”
His injury in 2022 continued a troubling trend of injuries that have plagued the past few years of his career. Adams missed four games in 2020 with a grade 2 groin strain, and suffered a shoulder labrum tear in the 2021 postseason.
At his best, Adams has shown that he can be one of the best safeties in all of football. From 2018-2020, Adams made three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.
Considering this, fans were shocked that he considered retirement considering he is seemingly still in the prime of his career at 27 years old.
It’s still underrated how much these guys go through to be on the field every week.
Tearing your quad tendon is one of the hardest non head / spine injuries to return from.
Rooting for Adams. A unique skill set at safety when he’s right. https://t.co/dLOp7b19Wo
— YardsAfterContract (@after_yards) September 30, 2023
This is sad to hear, but wishing nothing but the best for @Prez and that he doesn’t retire, he’s explosive on the field and even tho he’s with the Seahawks miss seeing him in a jets uniform https://t.co/ov1iV2VLfo
— Omar Soto (@mr_soto21) September 30, 2023
I hate the Seahawks but I wish the best for Adams. https://t.co/ps4TkVUaXn
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) September 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/misterb_tx/status/1707930355666158022
It is great to hear that Adams is seemingly past the dark moments stemming from his injury. And hopefully, he can get his 2023 season off on the right foot on Monday night.
[ESPN]
