Jamal Adams onto injured reserve, likely surgery, likely out for the Seahawks’ season

Three Seahawks seasons, three years Jamal Adams is out injured.

Seattle put their $70 million safety on injured reserve Thursday, three days after he tore a quadriceps tendon and injured his knee in the team’s season-opening win over the Denver Broncos.

He will miss at least the next four games, per the NFL’s rules for IR. The Seahawks have yet to confirm he is having surgery. An NFL source told The News Tribune that decision still was going through multiple medical opinions and reviews Thursday afternoon.

But the nature of his injuries, the likelihood of surgery, how distraught Adams was inside the locker room during Monday night’s game after he got hurt and comments from teammates such as quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf strongly suggest Adams will miss the final 16 games of Seattle’s season.

Smith made an unsolicited comment of support at the end of his weekly press conference before practice for the Seahawks’ NFC West game Sunday at San Francisco (0-1).

“Shout out to Jamal Adams. Praying for a speedy recovery. Need you back,” Smith said on his way out of the room.

The Seahawks signed cornerback Teez Tabor off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad to take Adams’ place on the active roster. Tabor, who has also played with Chicago and Detroit, was practicing Thursday.

Adams got hurt blitzing free into quarterback Russell Wilson midway through the second quarter of Seattle’s win over Denver Monday night.

Adams was coming back from shoulder and finger surgeries the last two seasons. He missed four games in 2020 and five games in 2021.

The Seahawks traded two first-round draft choices to the New York Jets to get him in the summer of 2020. Last summer Seattle gave Adams a new, $70 million contract. That runs through the 2025 season.

The Seahawks have paid Adams $38 million in guaranteed money and $3 million in salary ($1 million last season, $2 million for this season for being a vested veteran on the roster through week one of the regular season) for 25 regular-season games and one postseason start.

Josh Jones will replace Adams starting next to Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs Sunday against the 49ers in Santa Clara, California.

“I know just going into halftime seeing him down and him hurt really hurt us as a team,” wide receiver DK Metcalf said of Adams. “Because for a guy like that who’s battled injuries in the past, and for another injury to come back up, you’ve really just got to pray for him and up that his mental is good, overall.

“Like I told him, man, it’s bigger plans for him, past this season. He’s going to overcome this just like he’s overcome everything else in the past. And he’s going to come out a stronger person, and he’s going to share his story of his struggles to help another person down the line who may be dealing with the same thing in their career.”