One of the Seattle Seahawks’ top defensive players nearly called it quits at the age of 27 following the 2022 season.
Last year, Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams suffered a gruesome season-ending torn quadricep tendon in the Week 1 opener against the Denver Broncos. Adams has missed Seattle’s first three games in 2023 recovering from injury, but he’s set to return in Week 4 against the New York Giants on Monday night.
Per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the 27-year-old Adams admitted to reporters on Friday that he briefly considered retirement this past offseason. Adams cited the several injuries he has endured as to why he considered walking away:
“It was tough. 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. I was considering everything at the moment. I was in a dark place. Not on 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.”
The Seahawks acquired the do-it-all star safety in a 2020 blockbuster trade with the New York Jets. After helping Seattle to the NFC West division crown that year, Adams was handed a four-year extension worth $70 million.
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In 2020, Adams set the single-season record for sacks by a defensive back with 9.5. The former Jet has four career interceptions to go along with 34 pass defenses, seven forced fumbles and 21.5 sacks.
