Former Viking Lasted 3 Days with Bears
Dustin Baker
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Dust off the Homer Simpson GIF because former Minnesota Vikings fullback Jake Bargas was released by the Chicago Bears three days after joining the franchise.
The Vikings waived Bargas during the August 16th batch of roster cuts, clearing the way for the 25-year-old to sign with Chicago.
But the Bears plans were evidently shortsighted, waiving Bargas during the NFL’s second round of roster trimdowns. Bargas will now go through the waiver process and presumably hit free agency once again.
Bargas played for the Vikings in two seasons, mainly as a practice squad participant. He did, though, play a handful of regular season snaps in Minnesota — in 2020 versus the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day and last year against the Lions in an infamous road defeat.
Unearthed as an undrafted free agent from North Carolina after the 2020 NFL Draft, Bargas was usually the Vikings “other fullback” behind C.J. Ham. As a Tarheel from 2016 to 2019, Bargas played TE. When he signed with the Bears, he could’ve been on deck for either FB or TE. As a tight end, Bargas would’ve battled Chase Allen, Cole Kmet, James O’Shaughnessy, and Ryan Griffin for a roster spot. At fullback, Chicago employs another former Viking, Khari Blasingame.
At North Carolina, Bargas was a TE target for current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. That’s the same Trubisky who was — you guessed it — a Bears quarterback for four years.
The Bears released four other players on Tuesday: Julie’n Davenport (LT), Bopete Keyes (CB), LaCale London (DE), and Dazz Newsome (WR). The Newsome cut was newsworthy as the Bears reportedly had big plans for the speedster when training camp began. But no cigar.
For the Vikings, Harrison Hand (CB) and Shaun Beyer (TE) were cut, while Ryan Connelly (LB) and Blake Proehl (WR) hit the Reserve/PUP list. Albert Wilson (WR) departed the franchise on Monday after Minnesota traded with the Las Vegas Raiders for Nick Mullens (QB).
The Vikings and Bears play at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 5 — or 46 days from now.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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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