Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A detailed view of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson's (18) helmet before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 free-agent haul has morphed into a total masterclass.
Onlookers can rightfully criticize the team’s 2022 draft class — they aren’t shy about doing it — but the batch of newcomers from last March has jumped off the page, so much so that one must wonder what the team would like without the newcomers.
And no one quite embodies that like outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Van Ginkel played like a tyrant on Sunday in the Vikings’ 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans, logging 8 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. And yes, this was the same EDGE defender who already returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season. The guy is unreal.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah found Van Ginkel on the free-agent market eight months ago, a castaway from the Miami Dolphins, who just so happened to grow up as a Vikings fan, is a Midwesterner, and attended college at Wisconsin. Combine those biographical details with his real-life Viking look — he looks like the logo at the middle of U.S. Bank Stadium — and Van Ginkel is suddenly a fan favorite.
The mind-blowing part? Van Ginkel only costs Minnesota $10 million per season. Based on his production — that never really dips or takes games off — the guy should be nibbling at $20 million annually, if not more.
Van Ginkel told reporters after the game, “When you can stop them, anytime you get off the field and get the ball to your offense is a positive. Our defense, that’s all we’re trying to do. Our offense, when they get the ball and they can get rolling, they’ll put points up.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about the win over the Titans, “We’ve won eight of them. We’ve got the right mindset. But I do believe, you know, hopefully our best football is ahead of us, because we’re working towards that while also winning games. Proud of that, proud of our group, proud of our staff — but it’s time to go back to work.”
Earlier this season, Van Ginkel became the first player in NFL history to record at least 3 sacks and multiple interception returns for touchdowns in a season’s first five games.
NFL.com added about Van Ginkel’s blossoming stardom that he “is the third player in NFL history with 8 or more sacks and multiple pick-sixes in the same season.”
The guy is a machine. A versatile-as-hell machine.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.