Andrew Adams (American football)

Andrew Adams (born October 28, 1992) is an American football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

College career
Andrew Adams started 33 games over the course of his college tenure including all 12 in 2014 and all 13 in 2015. He was one of four captains his senior year with the Huskies. Led the Huskies with 103 tackles as well as adding three interceptions and seven passes defended in his final season as a Husky.

2016
On May 1, 2016, the New York Giants signed Adams to a three-year, $1.62 million contract as an undrafted free agent.

On September 3, 2016, the New York Giants waived Adams as part of their final roster cuts, but signed him to their practice squad the following day. On September 23, 2016, Adams was promoted from practice squad to the active roster. On September 25, 2016, Adams made one tackle during a 29–27 loss against the Washington Redskins in Week 3. On October 3, 2016, Adams earned his first career start after starting free safety Darian Thompson suffered a foot injury and backup Nat Berhe was inactive due to a concussion. He finished the Giants’ 24–10 loss at the Minnesota Vikings with six combined tackles and one pass deflection. On November 6, 2016, Adams collected a season-high nine combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception during a 28–23 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. Adams intercepted a pass by Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz, that was initially intended for wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, and returned it for a 19-yard gain in the first quarter. He finished his rookie season in 2016 with 46 combined tackles (31 solo), five pass deflections, and one interception in 14 games and 13 starts. He received an overall grade of 79.4 from Pro Football Focus, which was the second best grade among rookie safeties in 2016 behind Keanu Neal (80.8).

2017
During training camp, Adams competed to be a starting free safety against Darian Thompson. Head coach Ben McAdoo named Adams the backup free safety, behind Darian Thompson, to start the regular season. In Week 17, he collected a season-high seven solo tackles and deflected a pass during a 18–10 win against the Washington Redskins. On December 4, 2017, the New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo after they fell to a 2–10 record. He finished the 2017 NFL season with 34 solo tackles and two pass deflections in 16 games and four starts.

2018
During training camp, Adams competed against Darian Thompson to be the starting free safety. On September 1, 2018, the New York Giants officially waived Adams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On September 26, 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Adams after placing Chris Conte on injured reserve. Head coach Dirk Koetter named Adams the backup free safety behind Jordan Whitehead. On December 2, 2018, Adams made one tackle, three pass deflections, and made a career-high three interceptions during a 24–17 victory against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 15, Adams collected a season-high seven combined tackles and deflected a pass as the Buccaneers lost 27-20 at the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the season with 38 combined tackles (29 solo), nine pass deflections, and four interceptions in 13 games and four starts.

Detroit Lions
On March 14, 2019, Adams signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.

Buccaneers franchise records

 * Most interceptions in a game – 3 (tied with Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib)