Jerell D. Adams (born December 31, 1992) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Early years

Adams attended Scott's Branch High School in

Summerton, South Carolina Summerton is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 814. Geography Summerton is in southwestern Clarendon County at (33.605145, -80.352159). Interstate 95 passes just south of the to ...

. He played football and basketball. In football, he played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, tight end,

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and punter. During his career he passed for 689 yards with 12

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

and had 21 receptions for 581 yards and eight receiving touchdowns on offense. As a senior in basketball, he averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds as a junior. Adams spent a year at

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

after high school.

College career

Adams played at South Carolina from 2012 to 2015. During his career, he played in 47 games with 15 starts, finishing with 66 receptions for 977 yards and seven touchdowns.

Professional career

On December 14, 2015, it was announced that Adams had accepted his invitation to play in the

2016 Senior Bowl The 2016 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2016 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the ...

. Throughout Senior Bowl practices, Adams garnered attention and impressed scouts by showcasing his blocking ability and making multiple difficult catches. On January 30, 2016, Adams made three receptions for 49 yards and was a part of Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Gus Bradley's South team that defeated the North 27-16. Adams was one of 15 collegiate tight ends to attend the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. He ran the fastest

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

among all tight ends and finished seventh in the vertical jump and

three-cone drill The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in p ...

. On March 30, 2016, Adams attended South Carolina's pro day, along with Brandon Shell, Pharoh Cooper,

Brandon Wilds Brandon Wilds (born July 22, 1993) is a former American football running back. He played college football at South Carolina Gamecocks football, South Carolina and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2016. High school ...

, and 13 other prospects. He opted to stand on his combine numbers and perform only positional drills and the bench press for scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Adams was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the second best tight end in the draft by NFL analyst

Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...

, was ranked the fourth best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com, and the fifth best tight end by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''.

New York Giants

The

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

selected Adams in the sixth round (184th overall) of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. He was the seventh tight end selected and was the last of three South Carolina players drafted, after

Pharoh Cooper Pharoh Cooper (born March 7, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth rou ...

and

Brandon Shell Brandon McArthur Shell (born February 6, 1992) is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina. He is the great nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fa ...

2016

On May 6, 2016, the New York Giants signed Adams to a four-year, $2.48 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $142,855. Throughout training camp, he competed with

Matt LaCosse Matthew Robert LaCosse (born September 21, 1992) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Illinois for four years. LaCosse is from Naperville, Illinois and attended Naperville North High School. High school caree ...

Larry Donnell Larry Donnell (born November 1, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football for Grambling State. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Early years Donnell attended Carroll High S ...

Will Tye Wilhelm Tye (born November 4, 1991) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Florida State Seminoles football, Florida State and Stony Brook Seawolves football, Stony Brook, and signed with the New York Giants in 201 ...

, and

Ryan Malleck Ryan John Malleck (born July 22, 1993) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Malleck grew up on the Jersey Shore in Point Pleasant as a fan of ...

for the job as the starting tight end. Head coach

Ben McAdoo Benjamin Lee McAdoo (born July 9, 1977) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as a consultant for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 and quart ...

named him the third tight end on the Giants' depth chart, behind veterans Donnell and Tye. On September 18, 2016, he made his professional regular season debut in the New York Giants' 16–13 victory over the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in Week 2. On October 9, 2016, Adams made two receptions for 27 yards during the Giants' 23–16 loss at the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. He made his first career reception on a 13-yard pass by

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son o ...

in the fourth quarter before being tackled by linebacker Joe Thomas. On November 6, 2016, Adams caught three passes for a season-high 24 receiving yards during a 28–23 victory over the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. The following week, he caught a season-high tying three passes for 18-yards and a touchdown in a 21–20 victory over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in Week 10. He scored his first career touchdown on a ten-yard pass by

in the first quarter. In Week 15, Adams earned his first career start and had three catches for 18-yards as the Giants defeated the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

17–6. He was inactive for the Giants' 19-10 victory over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in Week 17. He finished the season with 16 receptions for 122 receiving yards and one touchdown in 13 games and two starts. The New York Giants finished with an 11-5 record and received a playoff berth after finishing second in the

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys ...

. Adams was inactive for their NFC Wildcard loss to the Green Bay Packers.

2017

Adams entered training camp competing against

Rhett Ellison Rhett Marshall Ellison (born October 3, 1988) is a former American football tight end and fullback who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in t ...

, Will Tye, and Matt LaCosse for the second tight end position behind rookie first round pick

Evan Engram Evan Michael Engram (born September 2, 1994) is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss and was drafted by the New York Giants with the 23rd pic ...

. New head coach and former Giants' offensive coordinator

named Adams the No. 3 tight end behind Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison to begin the regular season. On September 18, 2017, Adams had one reception for a season-high 38 receiving yards in a 24–10 loss at the

. Head coach Ben McAdoo was fired after Week 13, due to the Giants poor 2-10 record. On December 24, 2017, he made a season-high four receptions for 31-yards as the Giants lost 23–0 at the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He finished the season with eight receptions for 92 receiving yards in 16 games and one start.

2018

On September 2, 2018, Adams was waived by the Giants.

Houston Texans

On October 10, 2018, Adams was signed to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 7, 2019. On October 1, 2019, Adams was waived by the Texans and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on December 3, 2019.

New Orleans Saints

On December 12, 2019, Adams was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on December 27.

Baltimore Ravens

Adams signed with the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

on August 3, 2020. On September 5, 2020, the Ravens released Adams, before re-signing him to their practice squad the next day. He was released on October 6, 2020.

Detroit Lions

On December 9, 2020, Adams signed with the practice squad of the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On May 17, 2021, Adams signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. He was released on August 31, 2021.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bioNew York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Jerell 1992 births Living people Players of American football from South Carolina People from Pinewood, South Carolina American football tight ends South Carolina Gamecocks football players New York Giants players Houston Texans players New Orleans Saints players Baltimore Ravens players Detroit Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players