# Anthony Adams
**Anthony Adams** (Anthony Adams, Jr.; born 1980 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) for the [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-49ers) (2003–2006) and Chicago Bears (2007–2011), and who later built a media career as a comedian and broadcaster under the nickname "Spice Adams".[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) • [2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Detroit, Michigan; attended Martin Luther King, Jr. High School[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) |
| College | Penn State, lettered 1999–2002 after redshirting in 1998[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) |
| Draft | 2nd round, 57th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2003 NFL Draft[3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AdamAn20.htm) |
| Career span | 9 NFL seasons, 2003–2011; 121 games, 74 starts[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) |
| Career totals | 10.5 sacks (69.0 sack yards), 241 total tackles per NFL.com counting, 3 forced fumbles, 3 opponent fumble recoveries[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/anthony-adams/stats/career) • [1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) |
| Size | 6 feet 0 inches, listed at 303 pounds (Pro Football Archives) and 310 pounds (NFL.com)[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/players/anthony-adams/) |
| Post-NFL career | Co-host of "Inside the Chicago Bears"; social media comedy persona "Spice Adams"[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) |
## College career
Adams played defensive tackle at Penn State from 1999 through 2002, lettering in each of his four active seasons after sitting out his 1998 redshirt year.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) The 2003 draft class he entered was one of the most productive in the school's history; Penn State has produced 248 [NFL draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-draft) picks since 1980.[6](https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/players/2003/anthony-adams)
## NFL career
**San Francisco 49ers, 2003–2006.** The 49ers selected Adams 57th overall in the second round of the 2003 draft, signed him on July 25, 2003, and used him across the defensive line: left tackle and end as a rookie, left tackle in 2004, nose tackle and left end in 2005, and tackle in 2006.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) His most productive statistical seasons in San Francisco were 2004 (48 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble) and 2005 (40 tackles, 2.5 sacks).[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) He became an unrestricted free agent on March 2, 2007.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html)
**Chicago Bears, 2007–2011.** Adams signed with the Bears on March 30, 2007 and spent five seasons with the team, playing mostly nose tackle in the scheme of that era. In the mid-2000s Bears defense, the starting tackles were Tommie Harris at the three-technique position and Adams at the one-technique (nose tackle lining up over the center-guard gap), where he played around 300 pounds and was regarded as quick and instinctive.[7](https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/6/6/24172778/a-scouts-take-on-the-2024-chicago-bears-defensive-tackles-gervon-dexter-andrew-billings) He went on injured reserve on December 10, 2007, re-signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 29, 2011, and was released on March 1, 2012.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) After his release, no team signed him for the 2012 season, ending his playing career.[8](https://parade.com/639643/jerylbrunner/anthony-adams-on-finding-a-new-purpose-after-pro-football/)
Across his career he appeared in 121 regular-season games with 74 starts, recording 10.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and 20 quarterback hits by Pro Football Archives' counting.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) • [3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AdamAn20.htm) He also played in two postseason games, winning one and losing one.[9](https://www.askscores.com/nfl/player/anthony-adams) His career approximate value, Pro Football Reference's summary metric, was 33, with four seasons as a starter.[6](https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/players/2003/anthony-adams)
## Playing style
Adams described the nose guard position as thankless work: "You don't get a lot of press. You don't get the media talking to you. You don't really get that shine. All you do is take on double-teams and you let your linebackers roam free."[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) That role, occupying blockers so that linebackers could make plays, matched his modest sack total but steady starting record at one of the defense's least glamorous spots.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html) • [7](https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/6/6/24172778/a-scouts-take-on-the-2024-chicago-bears-defensive-tackles-gervon-dexter-andrew-billings)
## Media career
**Early content creation.** In the mid-2000s, while still a 49er, Adams joined safety Mike Adams in "The Adams Report," a locker-room interview segment on 49ers.com's "TV49" channel, teasing younger teammates such as [Alex Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-smith) and [Vernon Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/vernon-davis) while generally sparing veterans like Bryant Young, Jeff Garcia, and [Terrell Owens](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrell-owens).[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) The segment predated the social-media era of player-created video, and several 49ers teammates followed with their own segments, including Michael Robinson's "Robinson Report" and Joe Staley's "Joe Show."[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396)
**Spice Adams.** After football, former Bears teammate Chris Harris, then an assistant defensive backs coach, urged Adams to keep filming his comedy and posting it online, which led to the @SpiceAdams social media identity.[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) Adams writes, produces, shoots, and edits his own material, and has built the "Spice Adams" name into a brand with merchandise sold through his website.[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) He announced his retirement from the NFL in a video filmed inside an empty White Castle restaurant, a self-deprecating stunt that drew wide media attention and reached 1.2 million views on YouTube.[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) He has since co-hosted "Inside the Chicago Bears" for the team he finished his career with, and his broadcasting work appears on ChicagoBears.com.[2](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396) In later interviews he has described staying connected to the Bears and building a post-football life in media, family, and community work in Chicago, which he still calls home.[10](https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-ynriau69d4g2kn1q)
## References
1. [Anthony Adams, Pro Football Archives](https://profootballarchives.com/players/a/adam00930.html)
2. [Anthony Adams Brings 'Spice' to Post-NFL Career, 49ers.com (July 6, 2016)](https://www.49ers.com/news/anthony-adams-brings-spice-to-post-nfl-career-17313396)
3. [Anthony Adams Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AdamAn20.htm)
4. [Anthony Adams Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/anthony-adams/stats/career)
5. [Anthony Adams Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/anthony-adams/)
6. [Anthony Adams Penn State NFL Draft Pick (2003, Rd 2 Pick 25), FantasyHQ](https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/players/2003/anthony-adams)
7. [A Scout's Take on the 2024 Chicago Bears defensive tackles, Windy City Gridiron](https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/6/6/24172778/a-scouts-take-on-the-2024-chicago-bears-defensive-tackles-gervon-dexter-andrew-billings)
8. [Anthony Adams On Finding A New Purpose After Pro Football, Parade](https://parade.com/639643/jerylbrunner/anthony-adams-on-finding-a-new-purpose-after-pro-football/)
9. [Anthony Adams Career Stats and Season Totals, AskScores](https://www.askscores.com/nfl/player/anthony-adams)
10. [Anthony "Spice" Adams reflects on social media empire, life after football, FOX 32 Chicago](https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-ynriau69d4g2kn1q)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Defensive tackles › Retired defensive tackles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license