Tag: Everson Griffen

Danielle Hunter passes Jared Allen on all-time sacks list

Hunter now ranks fifth all-time in Vikings sacks

The Minnesota Vikings have had some prolific sack artists in the history of the franchise. From Carl Eller to Chris Doleman and Everson Griffen, the Vikings have had historically great rushers.

On Saturday afternoon, Danielle Hunter registered his 86.5th career sack, passing Jared Allen for fifth on the all-time list for the Vikings.

Hunter registered two sacks in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals with one against tight end Tanner Hudson on a tight end screen.

Hunter also sits tied for fifth all-time in single season sacks with 15 so far this season tied with John Randle who also had 15.5 sacks in 1997.

Hunter is primed to have even more throughout the rest of the season on one of the best defenses in the National Football League.

97 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 97

Everson Griffen wore the number for a long time before giving it to Harrison Phillips, but who else has worn No. 97 for the Vikings?

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 97 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.

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips currently wears the number for the Vikings, and began wearing it last season. The real star of this group, though, is Everson Griffen, who wore the number from 2010 to 2022.

With 98 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 97 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Zulgad: Seventeen Vikings drafts later, here’s the top pick from each round

After covering Minnesota Vikings drafts for the last 17 years, @jzulgad identifies his top draft pick from each round.

This year will mark the 18th year that I’ve covered the Vikings’ draft.

There have been 156 players taken since my first draft in 2006, starting with Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway being selected in the first round. There have been 18 other opening-round selections.

Brad Childress, with assistance from Fran Foley and then Rick Spielman, ran the draft for five years. Spielman was the main decision maker for the next 11 years and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah assumed the role beginning last year.

Looking back through these drafts there have been plenty of hits and many misses. Below I attempt to rank the Vikings’ top selection in each round of the past 17 drafts.

Let the debates begin.

10 best Vikings draft picks since 2000

The Minnesota Vikings have had some great draft picks. @TheRealForno highlighted the 10 best draft picks since 2000.

The Minnesota Vikings are entering the 2023 NFL draft hoping to grow their team for the future. Each year, it’s a time of hope and projecting out the future of your team.

There are plenty of positives with past Vikings drafts. They have drafted multiple Hall of Fame players and have seen a lot of success in the later rounds.

Despite all the success they have had in the draft, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. There have been plenty of misses which I highlighted in an earlier article. This piece will highlight the 10 best Vikings draft picks in that same time frame.

Updated list of Vikings free agents still left unsigned

Here’s a list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for their first padded practice in their second week of training camp, while former players for the team are still looking for a job.

There are multiple key veteran players, including four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr, waiting around for the right offer from another team. Granted, it was recently reported that the Dallas Cowboys should be one of the teams to watch out for as a potential suitor for Barr.

And perhaps that’ll be the case for some of the other names on this list with interest eventually coming from other teams.

As we get deeper into training camp and eventually the preseason, more opportunities will arise with players getting injured or even cut from teams. That could open the door for players on this list to get back on the field. But until that happens, the waiting game will continue.

Former Vikings offensive tackle Rashod Hill was recently picked up by the Washington Commanders. So opportunity can clearly come knocking at any moment.

Here’s the updated list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned

Heading into the month of July, these are the Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

Training camp is right around the corner, and there are still impactful Minnesota Vikings free agents that have yet to be picked up by a team.

There have been some updates since we last checked in a month ago, most notably with wide receiver Chad Beebe finding a home with the Houston Texans, and Dede Westbrook receiving a contract offer to return to Minnesota.

Beebe fell through the cracks when he was still with the Vikings due to the rapidly growing talent at the receiver position. The arrival of players like K.J. Osborn and Ihmir Smith-Marsette pretty much ensured that he’d never see the field.

He’s hopeful that’ll change as a veteran for a Texans team seeking new direction.

Meanwhile, Westbrook still remains a free agent, despite receiving a contract offer from the Vikings after a spring workout. However, he turned down that offer, and the team signed Albert Wilson to a one-year deal instead.

Keep in mind, more opportunities will obviously open up when teams get into camp, and rosters are impacted by performance and injuries. Here’s the list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned in July.

List of remaining unsigned Vikings free agents

There are some surprising names on this list

With OTAs wrapping up and veteran mandatory minicamp right around the corner, there are still some noteworthy names on the list of Minnesota Vikings free agents that remain unsigned.

The biggest name on that list is obviously former four-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro outside linebacker Anthony Barr.

After spending eight seasons with the Vikings, Barr’s contract was allowed to expire in the offseason ahead of the regime shift in Minnesota.

Not only did the team replace him with Za’Darius Smith, but they also gave away the No. 55 jersey he wore during his time with the franchise.

It’s a bit shocking that he’s still one of the players on this list considering he’s more than capable of helping a team in need at the linebacker position. The same could be said about other names on this list as well, assuming they end up in the right situation.

Here are the Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned to this point.

Vikings 2022 NFL draft preview: Where does Minnesota stand at DE?

The Vikings have Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum. Now what?

The 2022 NFL draft is rich with pass-rushing talent, and that’s a good thing when considering the insatiable need to wreak havoc against opposing offenses.

Count the Minnesota Vikings among the teams looking to add another potential game-breaker to set the edge on defense.

A team can never have too many talented defensive ends on a roster. Particularly with the Vikings, with all of the uncertainty right now in the secondary, they’re going to need playmakers up front that can get home for sacks or—at the very least—disrupt the timing of offenses.

There are several players within reach for the Vikings that could do exactly that in this draft. Here is where the team stands right now at the defensive end position.

Vikings DT Armon Watts talks about how he honored Everson Griffen during sack celebration

Vikings DT Armon Watts gave a shoutout to Everson Griffen with his celebration Thursday.

Vikings DT Armon Watts sacked Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter of Thursday night football.

Watts paid homage to DE Everson Griffen after doing so. Watts did the “Sack Daddy” dance after making the play, which is Griffen’s signature move after bringing down the quarterback.

The Vikings defensive tackle talked about that moment recently:

“I’ve always been close to him… just to honor him in that way meant a lot to me, getting a chance to do it, Watts said, via Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. “I know he’s working on some things and getting better each and every day. That’s what’s important.”

You can see Watts’ celebration here:

Watts finished the Steelers game with three tackles. Minnesota has dealt with injuries to its interior defensive line this season, which has led to Watts stepping up into a big role. Griffen currently resides on the NFI list.

Vikings DE Everson Griffen makes Instagram post about mental health

In an Instagram post Friday, Vikings DE Everson Griffen announced he was bipolar.

Vikings DE Everson Griffen announced he was bipolar in an Instagram post he made Friday.

“I will embrace it and I will be an advocate for mental health,” Griffen said. “I been running from it a long time. I’m not ashamed of it anymore. It all started when my mother passed away. Went into a dark place, thought I was great for many years. I promise this time I will do everything the experts say.”

On Nov. 24, the Vikings announced that their representatives and mental health professionals had been at Griffen’s home and were cooperating with law enforcement after a video of him holding a gun appeared on Griffen’s Instagram account. That same day, law enforcement told the Vikings that Everson Griffen came out of his house and began receiving the help he needed.

Griffen added in the post that he loves his family and misses his friends. The Vikings defensive end has played all but one of his 12 NFL seasons in Minnesota.