Jamal Adams, who was carted to the locker room after an extended stay in the medical tent, won't return to the game, the Vikings said.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 15, 2026

Jamal Adams' injury prognosis doesn't sound good, based on what Kevin O’Connell said on the Vikings' broadcast coming out of halftime. "You're just crushed for him," O’Connell said. "We're gonna miss him. You absolutely hate to see that."

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 15, 2026

Going back and reviewing the plays, it looked like Jamal Adams stumbled in pass coverage as Calvin Austin III ran a crossing route. Stayed down and grabbed at his lower half. Reactions from teammates told the whole story. https://t.co/Q0qjSVnwNj

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) August 15, 2026

Kevin O'Connell on Jamal Adams: "You're just crushed for him. The role that he was paving for himself... We're gonna miss him."

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 15, 2026

Damn, Adams was looking good too.

What could have been...

Because it was there.

lol who let Brian Flores get Jamal Adams pic.twitter.com/KflkziDalE

— Krauser (@Krauserrific) August 15, 2026

https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/jamal-adams-injury-tracker-everything-we-know-about-vikings-veteran-after-saturday-s-exit-01m03asmt6ey

Jamal Adams Injury Tracker: Everything We Know About Vikings' Veteran After Saturday's Exit

This wasn't the start to the preseason that the three-time Pro Bowl defender wanted.

Saturday was supposed to be an exciting day, as it marked the Vikings' 2026 preseason debut. Fans were looking forward to seeing how Minnesota's offseason additions—from quarterback Kyler Murray to rookie pass rusher Caleb Banks—would perform in the first taste of exhibition action. Instead, the Vikings' faithful were left wondering if Jamal Adams would be okay.

It was a scary moment at MetLife Stadium when Adams needed to be carted off the field after suffering a non-contact injury in the second quarter. Although it's too early to give a diagnosis, the early buzz among experts and fans is that the situation isn't good, and there's a good chance that the Vikings' recent signing will miss some time.

Here's what we already know about Adams's injury, as well as any updates that the Vikings will provide in the coming days.

Analyzing Jamal Adams's injury

As mentioned above, Adams didn't even make it to halftime before disaster struck. SKOR North's Thor Nystrom shared a video of the incident shortly after it happened, and viewers can see how the former All-Pro contributor went crashing to the ground without even being touched.

More often than not, that's the sign of a severe injury.

Non-contact injury for Jamal Adams (32) on NYG’s cement turf. Brutal. He was going to contribute heavily to this defense. pic.twitter.com/fE0fcxSJF1

— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) August 15, 2026

Making matters worse is the fact that Adams couldn't get off the field with his own power and needed to be carted off for medical attention (h/t VikingzFanPage).

With Adam's outlook up in the air, a confidence-inspiring update from head coach Kevin O'Connell is exactly what fans need. Unfortunately, that wasn't what they received once the Vikings emerged from halftime. O'Connell said that the team is "gonna miss" Adams and that everyone is "just crushed for him."

You're just crushed for (Jamal), the role he was kind of paving for himself and just having a personality, experience, toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time. We're going to miss him.

Kevin O'Connell on Jamal Adams

Although an official diagnosis hasn't been released, the fact that O'Connell went out of his way to say that the Vikings would "miss" Adams can't be ignored. It sounds like early diagnosis has determined that the 30-year-old won't be back anytime soon, if his season isn't completely over already, that is.

Previous injury history

Despite all the talent and accolades he possesses, one thing that Adams hasn't been able to overcome in his career is an ever-lasting feud with the injury bug.

The 2016, 2017 and 2025 seasons are the only ones where Adams played every possible regular-season game. He's played 12 or fewer games six times in nine seasons so far, which includes a total of 15 between 2022 and 2024. And it isn't as if it's one issue that's constantly plaguing him, having dealt with injuries that affected his groin, ankle, head, labrum and quad since joining the league, per Draft Sharks.

It's still too early to say if one of those previous injuries is behind Adams's latest ailment, at least until more testing is done. Nevertheless, it's starting to look like last year's fully healthy run with the Raiders was a one-off situation as the Lewisville, TX native finds himself on the sidelines yet again.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has said that Jamal Adams suffered a right knee injury in today's game and that initial examinations don't look good.

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 15, 2026

Kevin O'Connell shares Jamal Adams' early impact on the team pic.twitter.com/pP4dk4YNnj

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 15, 2026

Both Josh Metellus and Byron Murphy Jr. said they went into the medical tent to check on Jamal Adams after hearing him in the Vikings' medical tent. "When I went in there, to hear those emotions, it had my head in a different space," Murphy said. "But we're going to get through…

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 15, 2026

That royally sucks

Had we played a basic prevent defense on 3rd and 23 instead of a really questionable defensive call, that TD play never happens and Adams is good.

JR44 wrote:

Had we played a basic prevent defense on 3rd and 23 instead of a really questionable defensive call, that TD play never happens and Adams is good.

Meh, you can't play that game. Adams needed the reps in this D and shit happens. Every team has already been bitten by the injury bug. No one gets spared. There will be more, always is. All teams.

MetLife strikes again.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jamal-adams-is-out-for-the-year-with-a-knee-injury

Jamal Adams is out for the year with a knee injury

As expected, veteran defender Jamal Adams’s 2026 season is over, after only one preseason game.

Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Adams has been diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury. The specific nature of the injury was not specified.

It’s a brutal blow for Adams, a former All-Pro safety who had moved to linebacker with the Raiders in 2025 and who likely was going to be deployed in multiple positions by the Minnesota defense.

A top-10 pick in 2017 by the Jets, Adams had signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.41 million with the Vikings just before training camp started. He had already made a great impression on the coaching staff and his teammates.

Adams was involved in 11 snaps during the first half of Saturday’s preseason opener at the Giants. He had an impressive backfield tackle of a running back.

The injury happened on a non-contact basis on the artificial surface at MetLife Stadium. Which serves only to underscore the widespread preference by players for grass, which absorbs the forces generated by the players. Artificial turf causes the forces to ricochet back into the players’ bodies.

#Vikings defender Jamal Adams, who was carted off in yesterday’s preseason game, was diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury, source says. His season is over before it began. pic.twitter.com/BEOiYggDFR

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 16, 2026

Vikings LB/S Jamal Adams’ right knee injury is season-ending, per @RapSheet.
More here…. https://t.co/Jdoe3qaGcc

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 17, 2026

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49633559/minnesota-vikings-lose-adams-season-due-knee-injury

Veteran defender Jamal Adams will miss the 2026 season because of a right knee injury he suffered Saturday in the Minnesota Vikings' 13-10 preseason victory over the New York Giants, the NFL Network's Ian Rapaport reported Sunday.

Coach Kevin O'Connell had expressed concern about the injury during and after the game, saying that he was "crushed" for Adams and that "we're going to miss him."

Early testing didn't look good, O'Connell said, but the team wanted to wait until further imaging took place Sunday before making a definitive projection about Adams' absence.

The injury occurred early in the second quarter when Adams stumbled in pass coverage with no contact and fell to the turf at MetLife Stadium. He rolled over and grabbed his right knee, and eventually he was carted from the sideline to the locker room.

The Vikings signed Adams, 30, on the eve of training camp in part because of his familiarity with general manager Nolan Teasley when both were members of the Seattle Seahawks.

Drafted as a safety by the New York Jets in 2017, Adams moved to linebacker last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and initially worked there with the Vikings as well. After a week of training camp, however, the Vikings changed his number from 54 to 32 and began using him at safety.

Adams had received heavy first-team reps during practice in the Vikings' three-safety packages. He was playing with the second-team defense Saturday when the injury occurred.

Injuries have plagued Adams for much of the second half of his career. He played only one game in 2022, nine in 2023 and five in 2024 before making it through all 17 games with the Raiders as a part-time player last season.

The expected and awful news for Jamal Adams is confirmed. https://t.co/b0IcZDCW3z

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 16, 2026