Former Viking Auditions for Seahawks

1st-Rounder Joins Seahawks
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Minnesota Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd is conducting the NFL version of a world tour.

Former Viking Auditions for Seahawks

He’s auditioned for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans in the last week, extending the tryout voyage with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.

Auditions for Seahawks
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.

KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted after Week 7, “Seahawks worked out Kris Boyd, Madre Harper, A.J. Parker.”

The Arizona Cardinals released Boyd about three weeks ago, and it may not take long for the defender to latch on elsewhere.

The Seahawks are 4-2 through six games, possessing a 63% chance of reaching the postseason. All operations of Seattle’s enterprise are sound, and adding Boyd would likely become a practice squad arrangement if the tryout turns into a contract.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kris Boyd (29) leaves the game with an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half of a preseason game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug. 19, 2023. © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Boyd played in four Cardinals games this season, although all snaps occurred on special teams, Boyd’s niche. He didn’t see the field on defense in Arizona and will now hope a deal comes together in Seattle. For the Vikings in 2022, Boyd played just 37 defensive snaps, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s first year on the job, but was a keynote special teams performer. He was on the field 82% of the time for special teams.

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The Vikings discovered Boyd in the 7th Round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he’s played 58 games since. Boyd was utilized frequently in 2020 on defense — 343 defensive snaps — but aside from that campaign is mostly a special teams asset and a damn good one, at that. He survived the Vikings regime change from Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell 19 months ago — for a while, anyway.

If signed by the Seahawks, Boyd would join this cornerback room:

  • Riq Woolen
  • Michael Jackson
  • Devon Witherspoon
  • Kyu Kelly
  • Tre Brown
  • Artie Burns

Cornerback Lance Boykin also lives on the Seahawks practice squad.

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The Seahawks defense ranks 16th per DVOA through Week 7, one notch below the Vikings at No. 15. Seattle defeated Boyd’s former team, the Cardinals, last weekend and remains home for another week with a game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8.

Seattle employs another former Vikings on its roster, running back Bryant Koback, a practice squad member. He rejoined the Seahawks practice squad for a second stint this week.

The Vikings take on the Seahawks in Seattle next season.


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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.