2 Recently Departed Vikings Found New Homes
Janik Eckardt
|
The NFL’s offseason has been tumultuous for the Minnesota Vikings, as staples of the organization have left. Primarily, Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter will be missed when the new season arrives in September. The first wave of free agency is over, as most starting-caliber players have already joined another franchise. NFL teams are currently looking to add cheap players to fill the roster before the draft.
2 Recently Departed Vikings Found New Homes
Hunter and Cousins will visit U.S. Bank Stadium in the upcoming season unless one of those contests will be played in London. Receiver K.J. Osborn is the newest receiver for the New England Patriots, a team that is a potential trade partner for the Vikings in the draft. Jordan Hicks followed Dalvin Tomlinson to the Cleveland Browns while running back Alexander Mattison’s arrival in Las Vegas completed the running back circle (Aaron Jones to Minnesota, Josh Jacobs to Green Bay and Mattison to Las Vegas).
Marcus Davenport is a new division rival after joining the defending NFC North champions, Detroit Lions. Also staying in the North is Greg Joseph, who will compete with last year’s rookie Anders Carlson for the kicking job.
Joseph kicked for the Vikings for three seasons and was an upgrade over Dan Bailey. Unfortunately, that didn’t say much. He hit 82.6% of his field goals and 90.3% of his extra points in three seasons with the Vikings. Last year, the 29-year-old ranked 28th in field goals and 17th in extra points. That simply doesn’t cut it in the league.
Former XFL kicker John Parker Romo has since replaced him. The 26-year-old was undrafted and has had many teams in the last two years, including a successful stint in the developmental league where he hit 17 of 19 field goals for the San Antonio Brahmas, including a then-record 57-yarder.
Joseph still holds the record for the longest field goal in Vikings history. He set the 61-yarder in 2022, hitting the game-winner from record distance.
Joseph’s contract expired, but his 2023 teammate Dean Lowry left because he was released after one season with the organization. He will spend the upcoming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lowry signed a two-year contract worth $8.5 million in 2023 but couldn’t impact the defensive line. Releasing him was the obvious choice, as it saves the franchise roughly $2 million in cap space.
The former Green Bay Packers draft pick played nine games (four starts) with the Vikings. Despite playing 237 snaps on the defensive line, he didn’t log a single sack and only collected 14 tackles, none for a loss. A torn pectoral muscle ended his season and, ultimately, his tenure with the Vikings.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has acquired veterans Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams, but it remains to be seen if those two can actually provide the necessary talent infusion. Draft pick and top defensive tackle Byron Murphy (Texas) has been linked to the Vikings.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
You must be logged in to post a comment.