Aug 19, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the turf before the game against the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
A tradition like none other — cutting Myles Gaskin.
The Minnesota Vikings initially signed Gaskin, a running back, on August 30th, 2023, following his roster exit from the Miami Dolphins. And in the last 14 months, Minnesota has now released Gaskin five times.
The Vikings’ social media team tweeted Tuesday, “RB Myles Gaskin has been released.”
In fairness to Gaskin, he always finds his way back to the purple practice squad, and this time may be no different. That would-be roster move will be determined in the next few days. Without Gaskin, at least for a little bit, these are the Vikings running backs:
Minnesota will welcome back tight end T.J. Hockenson and offensive guard Dalton Risner to the active roster this week, and Gaskin was evidently the odd man out. Again, he’ll probably return to the practice squad per the typical modus operandi.
Gaskin has logged -1 rushing yards in 2024 but returned 3 kick returns for 60. He served as Minnesota’s RB3 plan for a month and change of the 2024 season until general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a trade for Cam Akers a couple of weeks ago.
Now, assuming Gaskin returns to the practice squad before too long, he’ll remain the RB4.
The veteran runner initially joined the Vikings roster late in the summer of 2023 after the club auditioned men like Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for the gig. The Dolphins cut Gaskin loose during roster trimdowns, and Minnesota pounced. Thereafter, he was the odd man out (for a while) when Adofo-Mensah swung the first low-risk trade for Cam Akers last September. Yes, the Vikings traded for Akers twice in a year. Gaskin then returned to the Vikings practice squad.
Soon after, the Rams stole Gaskin from the Vikings practice squad in October 2023, a contingency plan when Kyren Williams hit injured reserve. But when Williams returned to the field after that, plus contributions from Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman, Gaskin became expendable.
Then, on November 7th, 2023, the Rams dropped him from the depth chart, and the Vikings re-signed Gaskin a week later. An adventure, indeed. Minnesota kept him around this offseason, at least for the first seven games.
The Vikings also released Gaskin earlier this month but quickly added him back to the practice squad. It almost feels like a bit.
Gaskin will turn 28 in February.
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.