Former Viking Dropped by Jets
The New York Jets own the NFL’s seventh-best odds (+1,800) to win Super Bowl LVIII, a perk of swinging a trade for Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Rodgers’ team is scheduled to win 9.5 games per sportsbooks and finish around second place in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills.
Former Viking Dropped by Jets
And when New York gets the regular season party started in 14 days, it will be without former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Nick Vigil.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted Sunday evening, “The Jets released veteran LB Nick Vigil, per source.”
The move arrived as the Jets and 31 teams have until 3:00 pm CST on Tuesday, August 29th, to trim rosters by about 40%. Each team must have 53 players on the depth chart, with 16 on the practice squad. That means over 1,100 players will experience a job loss or practice squad assignment this week.
Vigil last played for the Arizona Cardinals albeit for four games and 84 defensive snaps. He 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 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 in 2021, 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.
And then for the Cardinals in 2022, in the limited playing time, he tabulated a horrid 28.3 PFF grade before encountering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Vigil turned 30 a week ago and probably has a few more seasons in the tank — just not with the Jets.
Overall, Vigil hopes to embark on his sixth team in five years, traveling from the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Vikings, Cardinals, to the Jets for a summer pit stop. 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.
The Jets still employ five former Vikings: Tyler Conklin (TE), Dalvin Cook (RB), Jalyn Holmes (DT), Ifeadi Odenigbo, and Chazz Surratt (LB).
New York opens its season on the road two weeks from Monday night at the Bills.
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.
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