Tag: Andrew DePaola

7 Vikings who deserve a trip to the Pro Bowl

Chris Spooner takes a look at seven players for the Vikings who deserve a trip to Orlando for the 2024 Pro Bowl.

The NFL’s regular season is coming down the stretch run, which means it’s time to start thinking about the postseason and the Pro Bowl. Voting for the  Pro Bowl has opened up, and it’s your time as fans to let your voice be heard. This is your chance to tell the league – and the world – who you think the best players of the 2023 NFL season have been, and there are several Minnesota Vikings players who are worthy of the trip to Orlando.

This season has been a rollercoaster for the Vikings and their fans. The season started off about as bad as it could be, with the Vikings dropping each of their first three games, and four of their first five, with turnovers abound in each game. Then they recovered to win their next five games – but lost both their star wide receiver and starting quarterback in the process.

Now the Vikings are in the midst of a two-game losing streak and have gone into their bye week with significant questions at the quarterback spot. How they finish out the season will likely have some bearing on how the Pro Bowl voting turns out, but they have a number of players who are deserving of the spot regardless of how successful Minnesota is from here on out.

I have not included Justin Jefferson in this list due to the injury and extended amount of time missed, but name recognition alone may get him a nod. Now, let’s dive into the names!

42 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 42

With 42 days remaining until the start of the season, we take a look at everyone who’s worn No. 42 for the Vikings.

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 43 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

Long snapper Andrew DePaola currently wears the No. 42 for the Vikings.

With 43 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 43 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Madden ratings for every Vikings specialist

Madden rankings for the Minnesota Vikings specialists are fine, but not great.

On Monday, the first batch of Madden 24 rankings and the first 99 overall in this year’s game were released.

They are currently releasing two position groups per day and started with wide receivers and safeties. On Tuesday, they released edge rushers and defensive tackles. On Wednesday, they ranked the offensive lineman and the running backs. On Thursday, they started with the tight end and cornerback rankings. On Friday, they started with the quarterbacks and inside linebackers. We finish things off with the specialists.

Vikings 90-man roster player profile: LS Andrew DePaola

After being a first-team All-Pro in 2022, Minnesota Vikings LS Andrew DePaola looks to duplicate his success.

Welcome to the beginning of our 2023 season preview content!

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each player on the roster in-depth with backgrounds and how they currently project forward on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

What is the best-case scenario? What is the worst-case scenario? What should we expect from them during the preseason and beyond? We will break all of that down here.

As a staff, all of us at Vikings Wire ranked the entire 90-man roster 1-90 and will be releasing player profiles in reverse order.

Grading the Vikings free agency moves after the first week

The Minnesota Vikings have made multiple signings since the beginning of free agency. @TheRealForno graded each signing the Vikings made.

We are eight days into the free agency period and the Minnesota Vikings have been plenty busy in both acquiring and retaining talent.

Despite entering the offseason nearly $24 million over the salary cap, the Vikings made multiple moves by releasing stalwart players like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. The corresponding moves that they made will help determine where the Vikings go moving forward.

After the first eight days, the Vikings have made multiple moves. Here is how I have graded each of those moves.

Contract details for LS Andrew DePaola have been revealed

DePaola’s new contract has guaranteed money that should provide stability to the #Vikings at one of the NFL’s most specialized positions

The Minnesota Vikings gave their All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola one of the most lucrative contracts of any player at his position on Tuesday, cementing his role as a cornerstone of their special teams unit. Details of the deal were announced on Wednesday night which show that the team-friendly deal will benefit the Vikings while also providing DePaola a substantial payday following his award-worthy 2022 campaign.

This deal includes a $350,000 signing bonus that, combined with his $15,000 workout bonus each year, will give him plenty of stability over the life of his contract. Though he is set to make the league minimum in all three years of the contract, DePaola’s salary will become fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2024 league year.

All in all, this deal should prove to be a great move that provides stability to the Vikings at one of the NFL’s most specialized positions. With the help of their accomplished long snapper, the sky is the limit for Minnesota’s special teams unit in 2023.

Vikings reach agreement with long snapper Andrew DePaola

Special teams continuity is key and the Minnesota Vikings secured that by reaching an agreement with long snapper Andrew DePaola.

The Minnesota Vikings have reached a contract extension with long snapper Andrew DePaola according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal is reportedly for three years and worth $4.025 million. DePaola has been a reliable special teams player for the Vikings since joining the team in 2019. He has appeared in 31 games for the Vikings and has yet to have a bad snap.

Long snappers are often overlooked, but they play a critical role in every special teams play. Any mistake by the long snapper can lead to a blocked kick or a turnover, which can prove to be very costly for a team in tight games.

By locking up DePaola for another three years, the Vikings are ensuring that they have a consistent and reliable long snapper for the foreseeable future. This move may seem small, but it could pay big dividends for the team in the long run.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwjUv3rH7NA]

10 Vikings received Associated Press All-Pro votes

Four of the ten Vikings received a first-place vote

On Friday morning, the Associated Press named their All-Pro team and it included three Minnesota Vikings. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson and long snapper Andrew DePaola made the first team and kick returner Kene Nwangwu made the second team.

With how the All-Pro voting goes, all 50 voters pick their first team and second team and they build the teams based on that. The voting is simple: three points for a first-place vote and one point for a second-place vote.

The three Vikings who earned All-Pro honors weren’t the only ones to receive votes. 10 Vikings received an All-Pro vote with four of them receiving a first-place vote. Here is how the Vikings did in the All-Pro voting.

3 Vikings earn Associated Press All-Pro honors in 2022

The Vikings earned multiple AP All-Pro honors

After waiting throughout the week for the Associated Press to drop their All-Pro teams, they finally did on Friday morning.

After seeing the NFLPA and PFF drop their All-Pro teams, the prestigious AP All-Pro team is the one that everyone wants to be on.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of crossover with all three lists, including multiple consensus choices, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes being the first-team quarterback on all three lists.

The Minnesota Vikings had three players earn AP All-Pro honors in 2022.

Multiple Vikings make PFF’s All-Pro team

PFF thinks highly of the 2022 Vikings

With the regular season over, awards and recognition are coming out for the best performers. On Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was named an All-Pro by the NFL Players Association in their first-ever rendition of the All-Pro team.

While we wait for the Associated Press All-Pro team to be announced, we saw PFF drop their own All-Pro team with a first and second team that includes three Vikings.