Former Vikings Defender Bids Farewell to NFL
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson is calling it quits.
Former Vikings Defender Bids Farewell to NFL
The defensive trenchman turned pro in 2017, and after seven seasons, that’s a wrap for Johnson, who began his career in purple.
Johnson posted a farewell to social media this week, embarking on his next chapter.
Johnson’s Goodbye
Johnson penned on Instagram, “The Bumps, Bruises, Heartbreaks, Wins, Loses & Everything in between Is Something I’ll Never Take for Granted. Very Appreciative and Grateful of the Path I Was Able to Travel.
Thank You to My Friends, Family & Teammates. I Couldn’t Have Done It Without You. Most Importantly, Thank You God. Lucky Number 7 I’m Gone.”
Johnson most recently played for the Tennessee Titans in 2023 and did not latch onto a roster or practice squad last season. That was evidently the writing on the wall for the Mike Zimmer-era defender.
Career with the Vikings
The Vikings found Johnson in Round 4 of the 2017 NFL Draft, and he remained attached to the purple roster for the duration of his rookie contract.
Johnson embarked on a sinuous adventure since leaving Minnesota. He spent those four seasons in Minnesota, playing 53 games while starting 20. In fact, he started all 16 games in 2020 after Linval Joseph departed the organization, Michael Pierce — more on him later — opted out because of COVID, and Shamar Stephen shifted to nose tackle.
The aforementioned Zimmer said about Johnson in 2019: “Sometimes he still is a little bit like a bull in a china shop. He just wants to go, go, go. We had to get him to understand where his gap is, and how he’s playing it, and where his hand should be, and things like that.”
Johnson was teammates with C.J. Beathard, Christian Kirksey, Noah Fant, George Kittle, and Brandon Scherff at the University of Iowa.
NFL Resume
Here’s the full tale of the tape from Johnson’s career:
- Minnesota Vikings (2017–2020)
- *New Orleans Saints (2021)
- Houston Texans (2021)
- *New Orleans Saints (2022)
- Houston Texans (2022)
- Atlanta Falcons (2022)
- Tennessee Titans (2023)
* = No regular season playing time
And the Pro Football Focus grades by year:
- 2017 = 60.0
- 2018 = 53.7
- 2019 = 50.9
- 2020 = 35.3
- 2021 = 44.4
- 2022 = 43.6
- 2023 = 54.0
The 30-year-old played in 86 career games and logged 149 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, and 7.5 sacks.
The Other Retired Former Viking
Johnson wasn’t alone this offseason as a retired former Vikings. Nose tackle Michael Pierce, most recently a Baltimore Raven, hung it up, too.
Pierce said last week on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, “After nine seasons, after much prayer, talking to my family, just going through the grind, man, and just being satisfied where I am, looking forward to doing other things in life, I just decided to call it a career.”
“So, it’s been a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, nine years. I’ve had so many people help me along the way.”
Pierce played 231 defensive snaps in 2024, one of the lowest amounts of his career, evidence to support that the end was nigh. The veteran defender joined the Vikings via free agency in 2020, the club’s splash move of that offseason. Then, he sat out all season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later suited up in 2021. Pierce’s departure from Minnesota after the 2021 season was bittersweet because the man was terrific on the field when he played.
Now, he and Johnson are on to their respective next chapters.
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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