Source: Jamal Adams does not need surgery, returning to Seahawks Monday, status TBD

Jamal Adams is returning to the Seahawks.

Whether than means he’s returning to the field soon is still to be determined.

A league source with knowledge of the situation told The News Tribune Saturday Adams was returning this weekend from seeing a hand specialist in Dallas. He is expected to rejoin the team in training camp when Seattle practices again on Monday, following a players day off.

The source told the TNT the $70 million, 2019 All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl safety does not need surgery to repair the middle finger on his left hand he broke in practice Wednesday, at least not yet.

The Seahawks’ highest-paid player — since Russell Wilson was traded to Denver in March — had the two middle fingers of his left hand fused into a claw-like shape in an operation this winter.

The Seattle Times was the first to report Friday, citing an unidentified source, that Adams broke one of those repaired fingers. He got them accidentally stuck in the face mask of a teammate during the first practice of training camp Wednesday.

Adams and the Seahawks are hoping he can return to practice and start the 2022 season playing with a bulbous, protective wrap over the fingers — or at least more extensive and effective protection than what Adams wore while practicing on the first day of camp.

Coach Pete Carroll said Thursday Adams reported the fingers just “didn’t feel right” during that first practice since his offseason surgery. He and the team decided to send him away, back near his offseason home in Texas, to get another medical opinion.

Asked Thursday how long Adams will be out, Carroll said “I don’t know that.”

Adams was away from the training camp for the third consecutive day Saturday. He missed the fourth practice of the preseason. Fifth-year veteran backup Josh Jones again replaced Adams as the starting strong safety. Ryan Neal was the other starting safety, because Pro Bowl leader Quandre Diggs got a veteran rest day.

Jones, who started 13 games for Jacksonville in 2020, intercepted a tipped pass Geno Smith threw into heavy coverage during 11-on-11 scrimmaging Saturday.

Carroll said the 26-year-old Adams is “really concerned.” The coach said Adams is “really upset” that he’s missing these days of training camp while Seattle installs a new, 3-4 defense with players still learning the terminology and schemes.

New defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt downplayed that latter factor as a big one for Adams.

“No, no concerns, at all,” Hurtt said Saturday. “He learns very, very well. When he came back here in the spring time he picked it up, like that. So there’s no problem.”

Adams breaking his finger follows him missing four of 16 games in his debut regular season with Seattle in 2020, because of a groin injury. He set a league record for defensive backs that season with 9 1/2 sacks.

Adams missed four more games late last season and then needed a second shoulder surgery in as many winters to repair a torn labrum. He also had his fingers fused this past offseason, including the one that he broke this past week.

“I’ll never be able to bend them fully. But it is what it is. It’s for the love of the game,” he said in June after one of the Seahawks’ three minicamp practices. “I’ve been going through that for two years now. My first year when I got here, I dislocated my ring finger probably about 10 times and the other one probably about 12 times, so I’ve been dealing with that.

“I haven’t really said much, let everybody talk about it, whatever. But it’s good now.”

One training-camp practice in, it’s not good anymore.

So no, so far the Seahawks are not getting what they intended when they acquired Adams from the New York Jets in the summer of 2020 for two first-round draft choices plus starting safety Bradley McDougald. Thirteen months after that trade the Seahawks gave Adams the record contract with $38 million guaranteed.

He’s signed with Seattle through the 2025 season.