Former Viking Signs with Jets
Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Nick Vigil worked out for the New York Giants a couple of weeks ago, but no contract materialized.
Fast forward to the preseason’s first week, and Vigil has landed on his feet with the other New York team, the Jets.
Former Viking Signs with Jets
Agent David Canter tweeted on the X app Saturday night, “Two clients. Same position. Same agent. Signed on the same day to the same team. Congratulations to @GSEworldwide and @gsefootball clients Nick Vigil and Sam Eguavoen (@Slugggaaa) on signing with the New York Jets.”
Vigil, 29, joins his fifth team in eight seasons, latching onto the Jets, a team all-in for Super Bowl contendership after the trade acquisition of Aaron Rodgers in April. NFL teams have 24 days to trim rosters from 90 men to 53, and Vigil will now vie for a regular season roster spot.
The ex-Vikings defender last played for the Arizona Cardinals, albeit for four games and 84 defensive snaps.
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 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 that year. 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 will turn 30 in two weeks and probably has a few more seasons in the tank, perhaps in New York if he makes the 53-man roster.
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.
This is the Jets current off-ball linebacker room:
- C.J. Mosley
- Quincy Williams
- Jamien Sherwood
- Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Chazz Surratt
- Zaire Barnes
- Maalik Hall
- Caleb Johnson
- Claudin Cherelus
- Nick Vigil
The terms of Vigil’s deal were not immediately available.
The Jets also employ former Vikings players Tyler Conklin (TE), Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE), and Chazz Surratt (LB). New York, too, is at the top of the rumor mill for Dalvin Cook’s free-agent services.
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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