Vikings Linebacker Bolts for the Desert
Dustin Baker
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One former Green Bay Packers linebacker walks through the door as another Minnesota Vikings linebacker bolts for the desert — that’s the news of the day for March 22.
Za’Darius Smith, an All-Pro defender, became a Viking on Tuesday as Nick Vigil departed for the Arizona Cardinals.
Vigil played for the Vikings in 2021, his only season with the club. During that time, Vigil peaked immediately, returning an interception for a touchdown at the — you guessed it — Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. Vigil felt like a mighty offseason addition late that afternoon, and indeed he was just that — for a while.
Soon after, Vigil’s performance tumbled, not quite keeping pace with his Week 1 and 2 theatrics. Overall, Vigil finished the 2021 season with a 42.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, the 13th-worst in the NFL among 87 qualifying linebackers. In particular, Vigil struggled with run defense, tallying a measly 30.8 score from PFF.
But Vigil will take a stab at reclamation with the Cardinals. And Arizona is a franchise desperate for taking the next leap via playoff progression. During back-to-back campaigns, Kyler Murray’s Cardinals peaked too early, collapsing down the stretch of seasons. In 2020 — immediately after the famous Hail Murray play — Arizona lost a slew of games and missed out on the playoffs. Then in 2021, the Cardinals again struggled, narrowly reaching the postseason after nomination as the NFL’s best team for a few weeks. The Cardinals were ultimately eviscerated by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs, a team that later won the Super Bowl.
Vigil was apparently a “Zimmer guy,” as little interest was reported on his likelihood of rejoining the Vikings this offseason. His underwhelming PFF grade probably didn’t help while the numbers-based Kwesi Adofo-Mensah adjudicated the roster.
Overall, Vigil embarks on his fourth team in four years, traveling from the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Vikings, to the Cardinals.
In Minnesota, Vigil produced 85 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, one sack, one interception (the touchdown in Arizona), and an 89.5 passer-rating-against.
Vigil is the third former Vikings player to join the Cardinals defense in the last three months. Bashaud Breeland and Jeff Gladney round out the group.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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