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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

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 ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

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 ...

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Wayne, New Jersey, Adams attended PCTI in Wayne, where he helped guide his team to the New Jersey Group 4 state title in 1998. Adams attended

Passaic County Technical Institute Passaic County Technical Institute (also known as PCTI, Passaic County Tech, the Passaic County Technical Vocational High School or simply Tech), is a vocational public high school in Wayne, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades ...

in Wayne, New Jersey before going on to the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

.

College career

At Delaware, he played 43 times with 23 starts. During his college career he made 213 tackles and 11

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s. He earned second-team All-

Atlantic 10 The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

honors as a senior. He was

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the

2004 NFL Draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...

.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

2004

On April 28, 2004, the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

signed Adams to a three-year, $879,885 contract as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot as a backup safety, cornerback, and special teams player against fellow rookie Keith Lewis. On September 4, 2004, the San Francisco 49ers waived Adams as part of their final roster cuts, but signed him to their practice squad two days later after he cleared waivers. On November 13, 2004, the San Francisco 49ers elevated Adams to their active roster. Head coach Dennis Erickson named Adams a backup free safety behind

Ronnie Heard Ronnie Heard (born October 5, 1976) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Mississippi. Heard also played fo ...

. On November 14, 2004, Adams made his professional regular season debut in their 49ers' 37–27 loss in Week 10. On November 28, 2004, Adams recorded a season-high three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback

A. J. Feeley Adam Joshua Feeley (born May 16, 1977) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and went on to play for the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Carolina Pan ...

during a 24–17 loss to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in Week 12. He finished his rookie season in with nine combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and an interception in eight games and zero starts.

2005

On January 6, 2005, the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Dennis Erickson after they finished with a 2–14 record. Defensive coordinator Billy Davis held an open competition to name a starting free safety. Adams competed for the role against Ronnie Heard, Keith Lewis, and

Mike Rumph Michael Jamaine Rumph (born November 8, 1979) is an American retired American football Safety (American football position), free safety and cornerback. He is currently the assistant director of recruiting for the University of Miami Hurricanes foo ...

, while also seeing time at cornerback. Head coach Mike Nolan named Adams the third-string free safety to start the regular season, behind Mike Rumph and Keith Lewis. He was also named the first-team nickelback to begin the regular season. He appeared in the San Francisco 49ers' season-opener against the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

and recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, an interception, and made his first career sack on quarterback Marc Bulger in their 28–25 victory. On September 27, 2005, head coach Mike Nolan announced he'd be moving Adams from nickelback to starting free safety after Rumph sustained a foot injury. On October 2, 2005, Adams earned his first career start and recorded three solo tackles during a 31–14 victory against 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 ...

in Week 4. The following week, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 28–3 loss to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in Week 5. Adams was sidelined for two games (Weeks 14–15) after spraining his knee in Week 13. On January 1, 2006, Adams recorded six combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by David Carr during a 20–17 victory against 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 ...

in Week 17. Adams completed the season with 74 combined tackles (57 solo), five pass deflections, four interceptions, and a sack in 14 games and ten starts.

2006

Throughout training camp, Adams competed to retain his role as the starting free safety against Keith Lewis and

Tony Parrish Anthony W. Parrish (born November 23, 1975) is a former American football safety that played nine seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft with the 35th overall pick. H ...

. Head coach Mike Nolan named Adams the starting free safety to begin the regular season, opposite strong safety Tony Parrish. He started in the San Francisco 49ers' season-opener 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 ...

and collected a season-high eight combined tackles in their 34–27 loss. In Week 8, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles during a 41–10 loss at the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. In Week 9, Adams was demoted to being a backup behind Keith Lewis and was also relegated to being a nickelback. He finished the season with 64 combined tackles (54 solo) and three pass deflections in 16 games and eight starts.

Cleveland Browns

2007

On April 2, 2007, the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

signed Adams to a two-year, $1.21 million contract. During training camp, Adams competed to be a backup safety against

Gary Baxter Gary Wayne Baxter (born November 24, 1978) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2001 National Football League draft. He played college football at Baylor. College career B ...

, Justin Hamilton, and Nick Sorensen. Head coach

Romeo Crennel Romeo Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is a former American football coach, who was the senior advisor for football performance for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A former long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Cre ...

named Adams the backup free safety, behind Brodney Pool, to begin the regular season. In Week 11, Adams had one tackle and made his second career sack on quarterback

Kyle Boller Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17, 1981) is a former American football quarterback. After playing college football for California, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (19th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Rav ...

during a 33–30 victory at 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 December 2, 2007, he collected a season-high five solo tackles in the Browns' 27–21 loss 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 ...

in Week 13. Adams was limited to a backup role and did not receive any starts in 2007, but managed to finish the season with 29 combined tackles (27 solo), a pass deflection, and a sack in 16 games.

2008

He entered training camp in 2008 and competed for a roster spot as a backup safety against Gary Baxter, Nick Sorensen, and

Steve Cargile Steven Glenn Cargile (born June 2, 1982) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. He played college football at Columbia University. Early y ...

. Head coach Romeo Crennel retained Adams as the backup free safety behind Brodney Pool to start the 2008 regular season. He started in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

and recorded eight solo tackles in their 28–10 loss. Adams earned the start after Brodney Pool was inactive due to a concussion he suffered during the preseason. The following week, he started in place of Sean Jones who was inactive for the next four games (Weeks 2–6) after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. In Week 3, Adams made his second start at strong safety in place of Jones and recorded four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 28–10 loss at 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 October 13, 2008, he collected a season-high five solo tackles in the Browns' 35–14 win against 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. ...

in Week 6. Adams sustained a hamstring injury and was sidelined for two games (Weeks 7–8). He finished the season with 44 combined tackles (36 solo), two pass deflections, and two interceptions in 14 games and five starts. On December 29, 2008, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Romeo Crennel after they finished the season with a 4–12 record.

2009

On March 5, 2009, the Cleveland Browns signed Adams to a three-year, $4.10 million contract. Throughout training camp, Adams competed for the starting strong safety job against

Abram Elam Abram Elam (born October 15, 1981) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and ...

after Sean Jones departed for 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 ...

during free agency. Head coach

Eric Mangini Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former American football coach and current television sports analyst. Mangini had been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2013 and served as the team's tight ends coach for two seasons before b ...

named Adams the primary backup safety to start the regular season, behind starters Abram Elam and Brodney Pool. On November 29, 2009, Adams recorded a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) during a 16–7 loss at 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 12. He came in during the second quarter after Brodney Pool sustained a concussion. On December 2, 2009, head coach Eric Mangini named Adams the starting free safety for the remainder of the season due to expectations that Pool would miss the rest of the season after sustaining a concussion. He completed the season with 69 combined tackles (58 solo), eight pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and nine starts.

2010

In 2010, Adams competed for the job as the starting free safety against Abram Elam and

Ray Ventrone Raymond "Bubba" Ventrone (; born October 21, 1982) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety and coach who is the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Footba ...

during training camp. Head coach Eric Mangini named Adams the backup free safety to start the season, behind Abram Elam. He started in the Cleveland Browns' at 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 ...

and collected seven combined tackles, made a season-high three pass deflections, and an interception in their 17–14 loss. Adams was inactive for the Browns' Week 11 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars due to an abdomen injury. On December 5, 2010, Adams recorded three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the Browns' 13–10 victory at the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in Week 13. He intercepted a pass by quarterback Chad Henne that was deflected by Browns defensive lineman

David Bowens David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

and returned it 25-yards to the two-yard line. His interception set up a 23-yard game-winning field goal by Phil Dawson as time expired in the fourth quarter. He finished the season with 45 combined tackles (39 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 15 games and two starts.

2011

On January 4, 2011, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach

Eric Mangini Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former American football coach and current television sports analyst. Mangini had been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2013 and served as the team's tight ends coach for two seasons before b ...

after the Browns finished with a 5–11 record in 2010. During training camp, Adams competed to be the starting free safety against

Usama Young Usama Young (born May 8, 1985) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Kent State University. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the Cleveland Browns. ...

. Head coach Pat Shurmur named Adams the starter to begin the regular season, along with strong safety

T. J. Ward Terrell Ray "T. J." Ward Jr. (born December 12, 1986) is a former American football safety who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the s ...

. In Week 4, he made two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by

Jake Locker Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Washington, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans eighth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. A backup during his ent ...

during a 31–13 loss to the Tennessee Titans. It marked his second consecutive game with an interception. On December 8, 2011, Adams collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo), broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by Ben Roethlisberger in the Browns' 14–3 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in Week 14. He completed the season with 64 combined tackles (44 solo), six pass deflections, and three interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.

2012

Adams became an unrestricted free agent after the 2011 season and did not receive a contract offer from the Browns although he expressed a desire to return. He reportedly received interest from four teams, including the Denver Broncos.

Denver Broncos

On March 15, 2012, the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

signed Adams to a two-year, $4 million contract with $250,000 guaranteed. During training camp, he competed to be a starting safety against

Rahim Moore Rahim Shaheed Moore (born February 11, 1990) is an American football free safety for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA. Early ...

,

Duke Ihenacho Duke Uba Ihenacho (born June 16, 1989) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at San Jose State. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for ...

, and

Quinton Carter Quinton Carter (born July 20, 1988) is a businessman and former American football free safety. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted in the fourth round of the ...

. Head coach John Fox named Adams the starting strong safety to start the regular season, alongside free safety Rahim Moore. Mike Adams (safety)

In Week 3, Adams collected six combined tackles and a season-high three pass deflections during a 31–25 loss 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 ...

. On October 7, 2012, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (six solo) during a 31–21 loss at the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in Week 5. On November 11, 2012, Adams recorded four combined tackles and sacked quarterback Cam Newton for a safety in the Broncos' 36–14 victory at the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

in Week 10. His safety came on a two-yard sack in the fourth quarter and marked the first safety of his career. Adams completed the season with 80 combined tackles (60 solo), 11 pass deflections, a sack, and a safety in 16 games and 16 starts. The Denver Broncos finished first in the AFC West with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye. On January 12, 2013, Adams started in his first career playoff game and made two solo tackles and a pass deflection in the Broncos' 38–35 overtime loss to 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 ...

in the AFC Divisional Game.

2013

Throughout training camp, Adams competed to retain his starting strong safety role against David Bruton,

Duke Ihenacho Duke Uba Ihenacho (born June 16, 1989) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at San Jose State. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for ...

, and Quentin Jammer. Head coach John Fox named Adams the backup strong safety to start the season, behind Duke Ihenacho. In Week 10, Adams earned his first start of the season after Duke Ihenacho was inactive after injuring his ankle the previous week. Adams finished the Broncos' 28–20 victory at the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

with four combined tackles. On December 24, 2013, Adams started at free safety and made eight combined tackles during a 34–31 loss at the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in Week 12. He started in place of Rahim Moore who underwent surgery to repair a lateral compartment syndrome and missed the remainder of the regular season. He finished the season with 64 combined tackles (48 solo), six pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and seven starts. The

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

finished first in the AFC West with a 13–3 record, clinching a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Broncos reached Super Bowl XLVIII after they defeated the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

24–17 in the AFC Divisional Round and defeating the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

26–16 in the

AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

. Before the start of Super Bowl XLVIII, Adams vowed to walk about from MetLife Stadium back to his childhood home if the Broncos were victorious. On February 2, 2014, Adams recorded six solo tackles as the Broncos lost to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

43–8.

2014

Adams became an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season and received interest from several teams, including the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

,

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

,

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

.

Indianapolis Colts

On June 14, 2014, the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

signed Adams to a one-year, $1.01 million contract that includes $65,000 guaranteed. The Colts signed Adams after safety

Corey Lynch Corey Austin Lynch (born May 7, 1985) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Appalachian State. High school Corey graduated from E ...

was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as the starting strong safety against

Delano Howell Delano Andre Howell (born November 17, 1989) is a former strong safety. He was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Howell played his four years of college football at Stanford University first as a running ba ...

,

David Sims David Sims is the name of: *David Sims (running back) (born 1955), former American football running back with the Seattle Seahawks * David Sims (safety) (born 1986), American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts *Dave Sims (born 1953), Seattl ...

,

Colt Anderson Colt Anderson (born October 25, 1985) is a former American football safety and coach who is the assistant special teams coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Montana and was signed ...

, and

Sergio Brown Sergio Brown (born May 22, 1988) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Atlan ...

. Head coach

Chuck Pagano Charles David Pagano (born October 2, 1960) is a former American football coach and player. Pagano spent six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017. He also served as the defensiv ...

named him the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside free safety Sergio Brown. On September 28, 2014, Adams made a season-high three pass deflections and made two interceptions by

Charlie Whitehurst Charles David Whitehurst Jr. (born August 6, 1982), is a former American football quarterback who played college football at Clemson, and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round (81st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Nicknamed ...

and Zach Mettenberger during a 41–17 victory against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4. In Week 8, he recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles (eight solo) during a 51–34 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. On November 16, 2014, Adams tied his season-high of 11 combined tackles (eight solo), deflected two passes, and intercepted quarterback Tom Brady twice during the Colts' 42–20 loss to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in Week 11. On December 23, 2014, Adams was named as an alternate player for the

2014 Pro Bowl The 2014 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2013 season. It took place at 2:30 pm local time on January 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was televised nationally by NBC and was the final Pro ...

. Adams completed the season with a career-high 87 combined tackles (67 solo), 11 pass deflections, and five interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. The

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

finished first in the

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 2002 s ...

with an 11–5 record. On January 7, 2015, Adams started in the AFC Wildcard Game and collected nine combined tackles (seven solo) and a pass deflection during the Colts' 26–10 win against 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 ...

. The following week, he made two combined tackles as the Colts defeated his former team,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, 24–13 in the AFC Divisional Round. On January 18, 2015, Adams recorded nine combined tackles during a 45–7 loss at the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. On January 20, 2015, it was announced that Adams would be playing in the 2015 Pro Bowl as a replacement for Kam Chancellor, who was unable to attend due to his participation in Super Bowl XLIX.

2015

On March 10, 2015, the Indianapolis Colts re-signed Adams to a two-year, $4.85 million contract with $1.20 million guaranteed. Head coach Chuck Pagano named Adams the starting strong safety to start the regular season, opposite free safety

Dwight Lowery Dwight Larte Lowery (born January 23, 1986) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State. Early years Lowery attended Soquel Hi ...

. On October 8, 2015, Adams recorded four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for seven different ...

and Ryan Mallett during a 27–20 win at 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 ...

in Week 5. The following week, Adams recorded three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and returned an interception for touchdown in the Colts' 34–27 loss to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in Week 6. He intercepted a pass to Julian Edelman that was thrown by Tom Brady and returned it for a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The touchdown was his second score of his career and first one since 2005. He was inactive for the Colts' Week 7 loss to 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 ...

after injuring his hamstring the previous week. In Week 9, Adams made one tackle, a pass deflection, and an interception, but exited the Colts' 27–25 win against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in the third quarter after injuring his ankle. His ankle injury sidelined him for the next to games (Weeks 11–12). On December 6, 2015, Adams collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo) in the Colts' 35–10 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in Week 13. The following week, he recorded four solo tackles and sacked quarterback Blake Bortles during a 51–16 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. He finished the season with 75 combined tackles (52 solo), six pass deflections, a career-high five interceptions, and a sack in 13 games and 13 starts. On January 25, 2016, it was announced that Adams was selected as a replacement for the injured

Kam Chancellor Kameron Darnel Chancellor (born April 3, 1988), nicknamed "Bam Bam", is an American former football strong safety who played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech prior t ...

in the

2016 Pro Bowl The 2016 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2016 Pro Bowl presented by USAA for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2015 season, which was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31, 2016. As of 20 ...

.

2016

On January 6, 2016, the Indianapolis Colts fired defensive coordinator Greg Manusky and safeties coach Roy Anderson after they finished 8-8 behind a struggling defense. Defensive coordinator

Ted Monachino Ted Monachino (born October 15, 1966) is an American football coach who is currently serving as a defensive analyst at North Carolina. A longtime assistant in the National Football League (NFL), Monachino coached for several teams, including mos ...

retained Adams as the starting strong safety. Head coach Chuck Pagano named him the starter to begin the season, along with free safety

Clayton Geathers Clayton Geathers (born June 1, 1992) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at UCF, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. High school career Geathers attended ...

. On October 16, 2016, Adams collected a season-high nine combined tackles in the Colts' 26–23 loss at 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 ...

in Week 6. Adams was sidelined for the Colts' Week 9 win 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 ...

after injuring his groin the previous week. In Week 13, he made three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and returned an interception for a 56-yard gain during a 41–10 victory at the

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

. He finished the season with 79 combined tackles (62 solo), two pass deflections, and two interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts. Adams earned an overall grade of 83.3 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 19th among all qualifying safeties in 2016.

2017

On March 6, 2017, Adams announced that the Indianapolis Colts informed him of their intentions to not offer him a contract or re-sign him. At age 36, Adams had three successful seasons with the Colts that earned him appearances in two Pro Bowls. The Colts decided to go with their younger core of safeties in Clayton Geathers,

T. J. Green T. J. Green (born March 15, 1995) is an American football safety for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Clemson, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2016 ...

, and

Darius Butler Darius Jermaine Butler (born March 18, 1986) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at Connecticut. Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for t ...

.

Carolina Panthers

On March 10, 2017, the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

signed Adams to a two-year, $4.20 million contract with $1.15 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $650,000. Adams entered training camp slated as the starting free safety after the Panthers waived

Tre Boston Jayestin Tre'Von Boston Sr. (born June 25, 1992) is a former American football Safety (gridiron football position), free safety. He played college football at North Carolina Tar Heels football, North Carolina, and was drafted by the Carolina Pan ...

. Head coach Ron Rivera officially named him the starter entering the regular season, opposite strong safety

Kurt Coleman Kurt Coleman (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Early years Coleman graduated from Northmo ...

. On October 1, 2017, Adams collected a season-high seven solo tackles and two pass deflections in the Panthers' 33–30 victory at the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in Week 4. In Week 6, he had a season-high eight combined tackles during a 28–23 loss to 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 ...

. He finished his first season with the Carolina Panthers with 69 combined tackles (48 solo), ten pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. Pro Football Focus gave Adams an overall grade of 82.4, which ranked 24th among all qualifying safeties in 2017. The

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

finished second in the

NFC South The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...

with an 11–5 record and received a wildcard berth. On January 7, 2018, Adams started in the NFC Wildcard Game and recorded four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Drew Brees during the Panthers' 31–26 loss at 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 5 of the 2018 season, Adams recorded his fifth career game with two interceptions in the 33–31 victory over the New York Giants.

Houston Texans

On September 30, 2019, Adams was signed by 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 ...

. Adams announced his retirement from the NFL on ''

Good Morning Football ''Good Morning Football'' is a live NFL morning television program on NFL Network. The program premiered on Monday, August 1, 2016. It airs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET. The program is hosted by Kyle Brandt, Jamie Erdahl, Jason McCourty and Pet ...

'' on March 4, 2020.

NFL coaching career

Chicago Bears

On February 2, 2021, Adams landed his first NFL coaching job with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Adams was inducted into the Passaic Tech Hall of Fame in 2009 and had his jersey retired in 2010. Adams has two daughters, Maya and Avery.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bioDenver Broncos bioCleveland Browns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Mike 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Paterson, New Jersey Players of American football from Paterson, New Jersey American football safeties Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football players San Francisco 49ers players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players Indianapolis Colts players Carolina Panthers players Houston Texans players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players Chicago Bears coaches