Former Viking Who Went Nuts … Clears the Air
On Saturday, VikingsTerritory kept the purple community abreast of former Minnesota Vikings players in playoff action during the Divisional Round.
Kris Boyd Clears the Air after Going Nuts
Little did we know that Kris Boyd would steal headlines — for all the wrong reasons.
Almost immediately during Saturday’s tilt between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, Boyd shoved his special teams coach, Frank Ross, a moment caught on camera for a national viewing audience. The Chiefs had returned a long kickoff, Boyd took off his helmet in frustration, and referees penalized him accordingly.
Then, Boyd went ballistic.
Boyd cleared the air on Saturday after his team’s loss, telling reporters, “That’s not in my character. I love everybody here. I love my coaches. I never disrespect anybody. I love Frank, I’m a God-fearing man, I respect everybody … It was a little 10-second thing that happened. It’s football. I never disrespect anybody. That’s not my character.”
“I was just too excited and did something I shouldn’t have done. Keep my helmet,” he added.
Because the Texans’ season is over, they won’t have to deal with Boyd’s gaffe via discipline. In fact, he’s scheduled to hit free agency in March, and it feels like a longshot for his return to Houston, especially after pushing his coach in a nationally televised playoff game.
Boyd joined the Texans roster in late October 2023 and spent about six weeks solely on the practice squad. Houston later promoted him, and he’s stayed attached to the roster, mainly for special teams.
The Arizona Cardinals released Boyd in early October 2023, and it didn’t take long for the defender to latch on elsewhere. Boyd played in four games for the 2023 Cardinals, although all snaps occurred on special teams, Boyd’s niche. He didn’t see the field on defense in Arizona.
For the Vikings in 2022, Boyd played just 37 defensive snaps, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s first year on the job, but was a keynote special teams performer. He was on the field 82% of the time for special teams.
The Vikings discovered Boyd in the 7th Round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he’s played 105 games since. Boyd was utilized frequently in 2020 on defense — 343 defensive snaps — but aside from that campaign is mostly a special teams asset and a damn good one, at that. He survived the Vikings regime change from Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell in 2022 — for a while.
Last summer, ex-Vikings coach Mike Zimmer spoke critically of Boyd in a tell-all interview. “Kris Boyd? He says something about me? I’m like, ‘Dude, you had more special teams penalties than anyone I can remember,'” Zimmer told Star Tribune.
Zimmer might’ve been correct with his assessment.
Boyd will turn 29 next autumn.
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 MIN 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.
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