He played in the College Football All-Star game in Chicago prior to his rookie season in the NFL.
He was Patriots' leading sacker with 7.5 in 1974 and was named as one of the NFL's top defensive linemen by Pro QB Magazine.
Adams was the team's top tackler at 47 among the defensive linemen in 1976, and also had six sacks and 12 quarterback pressures.
In 1982, he finished second among Patriots' defensive linemen on the tackle chart with 45 and he also made one of the biggest plays of his career that season when he blocked a Uwe von Schamann field goal attempt in the Patriots 3–0 win over Miami (12–12–82).
He played in all twenty games for the Patriots' first Super Bowl team, compiling five sacks in the regular season.
Having announced his retirement, he was introduced individually before the final home game in Foxborough, in which the Patriots defeated Cincinnati, clinching a postseason berth.