On Friday afternoon, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams spoke to the media about his recovery from a severe leg injury.
Adams, who is expected to make his 2023 season debut on Monday night, tore his left quadriceps tendon. When the injury first occurred, he legitimately thought about retiring from the NFL.
“It was tough,” Adams said, via 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.”
Adams said all the injuries he has suffered over the years took a toll on him mentally.
“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.”
Jamal Adams, in a heartfelt press conference that marked his first comments to reporters since he tore his quad tendon last September, said he was in a “dark place” after that injury and briefly considered retirement. Called it a “real humbling experience.” pic.twitter.com/M8k8FaFnzM
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) September 29, 2023
Since the Seahawks acquired Adams in a trade with the Jets, he has missed 28 of 53 possible games.
When healthy, Adams is undoubtedly a game-changer. In 2020, he had 83 tackles, 9.5 sacks and a forced fumble for Pete Carroll’s defense.
Adams will try to make a statement in Week 4 against the Giants.