Everson Griffen voided his contract with the Vikings this offseason. Optimistic Minnesota fans thought that Griffen might re-sign on a cheaper deal.
However, after a long saga in free agency, Griffen has reportedly found a team, and it’s not the Vikings.
According to Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater of NFL Network, the Cowboys have added Griffen in free agency. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported that Griffen has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cowboys.
Rapoport said on Twitter that this was a “surprise” move.
Also, the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported that the Vikings were pushing to bring Griffen back in recent days.
The Vikings were pushing to bring Everson Griffen back in recent days, with Mike Zimmer involved in the effort, and they seemed hopeful that familiarity and proximity (Griffen lives in MN year-round) would win out. Instead, he heads to Dallas with former Vikings DC George Edwards
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) August 13, 2020
Griffen is coming off a resurgent 2019 where he had eight sacks and an interception. He also had 11 tackles for loss, compared to five the previous year. He played with the Vikings for 10 seasons.
The Cowboys and Vikings square off on Nov. 22 of this season. Assuming Griffen will be on the Cowboys at that time, it will be weird for many Vikings fans to see him playing for another team.