Former Viking Dropped by Super Bowl Champion Seahawks
February 2026 is a bittersweet month for ex-Minnesota Vikings cornerback Shaquill Griffin. He won a Super Bowl a week and a half ago — and was not retained by the 2026 Seattle Seahawks this week.
Seattle moved on from Griffin, and the veteran corner now hits free agency as teams ponder depth charts.
The veteran defender must now contemplate retirement or hope to latch onto a different squad sometime before the start of Week 1.
Seattle Moves On From Shaquill Griffin
The Seahawks have begun post-Super Bowl roster tweaks.
Griffin Out in SEA
Griffin was not immediately retained by Seattle this week, and this would’ve been the time to re-up the relationship.
NFL writer Erik Anderson noted, “The NFL’s daily personnel notice shows the Seahawks had four practice-squad contracts expire, including Pro Bowl defensive backs Quandre Diggs and Shaquill Griffin, a quiet but telling move that leaves both veterans free to sign elsewhere as Seattle heads into the free-agency window. Even though this is mostly a procedural transaction, Diggs and Griffin are recognizable because they’ve been real NFL starters.”
“Griffin is a former Seahawk starter and past Pro Bowler who also cycled back into the organization during the season. So when their practice-squad deals expire, fans see the names and assume a major “parting ways” moment. The more accurate framing is: Seattle didn’t immediately lock them into the offseason roster via futures contracts, at least not yet.”
Luckily for Griffin, his 2025 decision to join the Seahawks’ roster included Lombardi trophy smiles.
A Small Role in 2025
The Seahawks signed Griffin in 2026 primarily for practice squad duty — so, insurance. He wound up playing 77 defensive snaps and was targeted 8 times by opposing quarterbacks. Griffin didn’t play in the postseason, either, but the man still earned a Super Bowl ring as part of the 2026 roster.
Seattle drafted Griffin in Round 3 nine years ago. He brought his career full circle by getting a ring with the team that brought him into the business — even if he rarely played. Call it bittersweet for a well-respected veteran defender.
Career with the Vikings
In his only season with Minnesota in 2024, Griffin provided steady and dependable play, even if he wasn’t a dominant force. His 75.8 passer rating allowed led the team, indicating that quarterbacks struggled to complete passes when targeting him.
Griffin appeared in all 17 games, starting three, and played 572 defensive snaps, representing approximately 50% of the team’s defensive workload.
His best season came in 2019, his third year in the NFL, when he earned a Pro Bowl selection after performing as one of the league’s top cornerbacks.
Griffins’ full NFL resume:
- Seattle Seahawks (2017–2020)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2021–2022)
- Houston Texans (2023)
- Carolina Panthers (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024)
- Seattle Seahawks (2025)
And his Pro Football Focus grades:
- 2017: 65.3
- 2018: 50.7
- 2019: 78.0
- 2020: 64.6
- 2021: 72.0
- 2022: 61.8
- 2023: 67.0
- 2024: 63.7
- 2025: 52.8
Griffin said about being back in Seattle a few months ago, “It felt like old times. I think the last person that was here when I was here that is still on the team is Jarran Reed. The defense they embrace me with open arms, and that’s all I can ask for. I was going to go out there and play my heart out for them, and it worked out.”
“So funny thing, I had a couple people here, but since I found out that I was playing so late, I didn’t have to buy that many tickets. It wasn’t weird. I’ve been here before. The last time I was here was with Houston. We made sure we put the belt on them then and put the belt on them now, so it felt great. It’s no love lost from those guys. I have a lot of guys that I played with over there.”
What’s Next?
Griffin will likely encounter a 2026 offseason similar to last year — no real interest in the first few waves of free agency due to his age. He’ll probably audition for a team or two this summer, hoping to latch onto a 90-man roster and then vie for a spot when 53-man trimdowns are announced.
In all likelihood, assuming he doesn’t retire with his shiny finger hardware, Griffin will end up on a team’s practice squad again and battle for placement on gameday rosters — just like in 2025. It might even be the Seahawks again when the dust settles.
He’ll turn 31 this summer.
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