Former Colts safety Mike Adams announces retirement

One of the few free agents who panned out under former GM Ryan Grigson, Adams was solid while he was in Indy. Now he is retiring.

Mike Adams was one of the many free agents that Ryan Grigson signed during his tenure as GM of the Colts. He was signed as a 33 year-old free agent to start at strong safety. Unlike many of the other free agents Grigson signed, Adams was simply wonderful while he was in Indy.

Adams spent three seasons in Indianapolis and made two Pro Bowls in those seasons. He had 5 interceptions in both of those Pro Bowl seasons and recovered three fumbles in those two years too. He always seemed to be around the ball and made big plays.

Besides playing as well as he did during this three seasons on the field, he was a fantastic locker room leader. He was one of the veterans that players on a young team could look up to. The Colts don’t have many of those players on their roster now and once Adams left missed his leadership immediately.

After his contract was up, the Colts let him go just three seasons in. He then continued his career in Carolina for two years before playing his final season in 2019 with Houston. Adams retired after playing a total of 16 seasons at the age of 38.

Adams is one of the better free agent signings the team has ever made. Making the Pro Bowl in the first two seasons with the team is about as good as you can get when joining a new squad. More than that is the respect he immediately commanded in the locker room.

The Colts can only hope that Malik Hooker and Khari Willis develop into the type of playmaker and leader that Adams was while he represented Indianapolis.