Pete Carroll Has Bold Plan For New Raiders Defender

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to have safety Jamal Adams move to weak-side linebacker to bring some of his passion and aggression to the middle of the field.

Jul 24, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll during training camp at the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jamal Adams has barely had enough time to unpack his bags since signing with the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Now, head coach Pete Carroll is asking him to change positions from safety to weak-side linebacker.

Adams was an All-Pro safety when he last played for Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle had to acquire Adams through a blockbuster trade and he lived up to his hype. However, Adams went through some injuries as was ultimately cut by the Seahawks last season. Adams had a cup of coffee with the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions after he was cut, but his stints there were short lived.

Jamal Adams Plan

Carroll still saw something in Adams that made him go after him and sign him as a street free agent Tuesday.

"We made a big trade to get him because of who he is and the nature of his football. The style of play, aggressiveness, toughness and his mentality is really, really unique," Carroll said.

"That's why we were so willing to go after him awhile back. So to get a chance to get him back in our organization and kind of give him an opportunity to get back in the flow of the kind of play he's capable of, I'm all over it. ... His style of play is so suitable for what we're trying to do here about being aggressive and tough and all that."

Detroit Lions safety Jamal Adams runs off the field after a play against Green Bay Packers during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the event Adams could make the conversion to linebacker and find his old self, his aggression would be reminiscent of the old days of Raiders football. Adams was a top 10-pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and went to three straight Pro Bowls from 2018-2020.

Throughout his career has has been credited with 501 tackles and 21.5 sacks. He also had seven forced fumbles, 36 passes broken up, four interceptions and two touchdowns. The Raiders and Carroll would love to see some more of that this preseason.

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