Jamal Adams treated preseason game vs. Seahawks as his personal Super Bowl

Thursday night's preseason opener between the Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders marked a return to the Emerald City for several key figures. Chief among them being Pete Carroll, who was on the Seahawks' sideline for 14 years and helped lead them to their first Super Bowl victory back in 2013, and Geno Smith, who brought some much-needed stability to the quarterback position after the trade of Russell Wilson.

There was a third notable return, however: veteran defender Jamal Adams. The Seahawks gave up a haul to acquire the former No. 6 overall pick in 2020, but unfortunately, his time in Seattle was marred by injuries and underperformance.

After appearing in just 34 of a possible 67 games over four seasons, Adams was released by the Seahawks last offseason, and he spent the 2024 campaign bouncing around.

Jamal Adams makes impactful return to Seattle

Oct 22, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams (33) celebrates after making a play against the Arizona Cardinals during the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Now, Adams is back together with Carroll in Sin City, and it's only fitting that his first game in silver and black came against Seattle. The 28-year-old, who's now playing linebacker as opposed to safety, recorded three tackles on the night, and all of them stopped Seattle runs for short or no gains. He also had some very animated reactions to those tackles.

Jamal Adams revenge game pic.twitter.com/adhMO5vDXA
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 8, 2025

After the game, Carroll seemed quite pleased with Adams' performance.

"I thought he was pretty flashy, like he's been in practice," Carroll told reporters in his press conference. "He played like he's been practicing. He's been really obvious out there. He's real sudden. He's always been a very aggressive, attack oriented player. That's what separated him from others in his past. I thought he looked good and ran well and I was really happy for him."

Adams' celebrations may have been been intense, especially for a preseason game, but it's important to remember that he's fighting just to make the 53-man roster. Every play he makes furthers his case for a roster spot, so it's not surprising to see him excited.

Unfortunately, Adams' time in the Emerald City won't be looked back on so fondly. He had some good moments for sure, but it's hard not to think about what could've, and should've been.

Jamal Adams makes impactful return to Seattle

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