Tag: irv smith jr.

Irv Smith Jr. among All-Star group attending Travis Kelce’s Tight End University

Smith matching wits with Travis Kelce and others to improve his game.

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. is pulling out all of the stops to ensure 2022 stands as his breakout season.

One of the ways he’s hoping to improve his game is by sharing knowledge and running drills with some of the best players at his position at Travis Kelce’s Tight End University.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and even retired standout, Greg Olsen, are both attending the event, which is taking place in Nashville this year on June 22-24.

Smith, a second-round pick out of the University of Alabama in the 2019 NFL draft, is entering the final year of his rookie contract with free agency a looming possibility in 2023. This will clearly be a make-or-break year for his future.

Here’s the full list of players attending the summit.

Irv Smith Jr.’s high-rising potential must show substance in 2022

Irv Smith Jr. has a lot riding on this season.

There has never been a more important year of football in Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr.’s career.

He’s currently set to enter the final year of his NFL contract before hitting free agency in 2023. Whether he stays with the Vikings or signs elsewhere will be determined by what he does on the field. His performance will set the terms for his worth on the open market moving forward.

The talent and potential is certainly there for Smith to be a star, but NFL teams aren’t handing out big contracts and guaranteed money to tight ends on the mere possibility of greatness.

No, Smith needs to add substance to the hype.

There were certainly flashes of it coming into 2021 before he went down with a season-ending knee injury. The improved blocking, smooth route-running and acrobatic catches were all there for the former second-round draft pick out of the University of Alabama.

All of the high-rising potential for a breakout season was on full display at training camp.

This is the year where Smith must take all of it from the practice field and show it on game day. The Vikings are loaded to the teeth with offensive weapons. So there will be plenty of opportunities for him to exploit opposing defenses and make plays.

A player with his size and skills is a rare commodity at this level, and coach Kevin O’Connell will do everything within his power to make the best use of him in the offense.

This is obviously a wait-and-see approach from the Vikings as well. Time will tell if they’re actually willing to let his contract expire and play the free agent game with him in the offseason.

But it’s clear the Vikings want to see more from him before they make the splurge.

It’s Smith’s job to prove he’s worth the money to the team that drafted him—or, possibly another team out there quietly eyeing him from afar.

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3 Vikings players with most to prove in 2022

Who has the most to prove in 2022?

The win-now mentality, along with a new coaching staff, has reenergized both the Minnesota Vikings team and fans alike.

There seems to be a freedom and openness from the players ever since Kevin O’Connell took over the reins as head coach. But make no mistake, there are still multiple players on the roster with something to prove heading into the 2022 season.

The honeymoon phase will fizzle out quickly if the Vikings fall flat on their face in an effort to run it back with a roster that was predominantly shaped and molded by former general manager Rick Spielman.

That would force current general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to shake the foundation of the roster and seek out the changes he sidestepped in his first year.

Here are three players with the most to prove in 2022.

Vikings players currently slated for free agency in 2023

Multiple key starters are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2023

The Minnesota Vikings are juggling multiple one-year contracts in an effort to potentially compete for a Super Bowl in 2022. They’ve essentially kicked the can on future headaches in hopes of reaping a present-day reward.

But out of sight doesn’t necessarily mean out of mind.

This is the time of the year where general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will start to fade more into the background making roster adjustments with both the present and future in mind. The Vikings are going to have some seriously tough decisions ahead that includes multiple starters.

Keep in mind, they’ll have to work within the confines of potentially extending Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson to massive deals at some point, assuming they plan on going in that direction.

In his first year as general manager, Adofo-Mensah managed to keep the core of the team intact for the most part. But that certainly won’t be the case after this season.

Here are the current contracts set to expire in 2023.

Highlights and notes from first week of Vikings OTAs

Week 1 of OTAs is in the books

The Minnesota Vikings put on their shorts and helmets before hitting the field for the first week of organized team activities this week.

Players were participating in a variety of drills and workouts, which will continue over the next couple of weeks ahead of mandatory minicamp in June.

There have been plenty of fun stories coming out of the early practices, including running back Dalvin Cook calling linebacker Za’Darius Smith “crazy” for his work ethic and the way he pushes his teammates. Even Smith himself admitted coach Kevin O’Connell had to tell him to take it down a notch, during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

The regime change in Minnesota has seemingly brought a new energy to the team as they work to end a three-year playoff drought this season. Here are some of the highlights and notes from the first week of OTAs.

Sights and sounds from Vikings return for voluntary offseason workouts

It’s back to the grind!

It’s back to the grind this week with the Minnesota Vikings players and coaches returning for voluntary offseason workouts.

So much has changed for the team in the offseason, including the hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the new general manager and Kevin O’Connell as the new head coach.

You could see it in the faces of the players as they returned to the team facility for the first time in two months.

The Vikings are in win-now mode, and they’re hopeful to finally have the leadership capable of helping them turn a corner after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. returns for voluntary offseason workouts

Irv Smith Jr. makes his long-awaited return

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. was all smiles when arriving at the team’s facilities on Monday morning to begin voluntary offseason workouts.

The Vikings were one of six teams slated to start their offseason programs this week after passing on an opportunity to kick-start the festivities a week earlier.

Smith looked to be on the verge of a breakout season last year after wowing onlookers at training camp back in 2021. The ability to create separation and circus catches were on full display for the former second-round draft pick out of the University of Alabama.

However, his third-year campaign was cut short due to a torn meniscus suffered before the start of the season.

His presence on the football field, along with All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson and two-time Pro Bowler Adam Thielen, gives quarterback Kirk Cousins an embarrassment of riches on offense.

“Back to it,” Smith said, when arriving on Monday.

It’s perfect timing that the Vikings get another significant offensive weapon back on the field with an offensive-minded head coach like Kevin O’Connell taking over the reins.

The offense should be humming in 2022.

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Vikings 2022 offseason preview: Where does Minnesota stand at TE?

An improved Irv Smith Jr. could take the offense to new heights

The Minnesota Vikings never got to show everything under the hood offensively with Irv Smith Jr. going down with a torn meniscus before the season even started. So there’s some genuine excitement to see what the tight end position looks like in a Kevin O’Connell-coached offense.

But things aren’t quite as certain with this skilled group as they are at running back and receiver. A move of some sort is likely coming considering they have multiple players heading into free agency, along with the fact that Smith is coming off a season-ending injury.

The opportunities at tight end should be plenty with the bevy of offensive skilled weapons already on the field for the Vikings.

Here are where things stand at the position right now.

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Vikings claim Minnesota native Ben Ellefson off waivers, adding depth to tight end

The Vikings claimed a Minnesota native off waivers.

The Vikings need tight end help now that Irv Smith Jr. is likely out for the year.

So Minnesota elected to bring a player back to his home state. The Vikings claimed Ben Ellefson off waivers. Ellefson is a native of Hawley, Minnesota, who went on to play collegiate football at NDSU.

Ellefson was waived by the Jaguars this offseason. He signed with Jacksonville in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. He started the season on the practice squad, but he was elevated to the active roster at times before he ended up getting fully promoted to the 53-man team. He finished his rookie season with seven games played and four starts.

He tallied just one reception for 10 yards this past season, so he was used more as a blocking tight end. That will still help the Vikings, though. The team needs all the tight end depth it can get now.

Report: Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. likely to miss all of 2021 season

Some bad news for the Vikings offense.

There were two scenarios for Irv Smith Jr.’s injury, according to PFF injury analyst Mario Pilato. Smith will either be out a few weeks if the surgery is a Meniscectomy or will be out for the whole season if the surgery is a Meniscus Repair.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, it’s looking like the latter. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Smith is likely to miss all of 2021, based on a 4-5 month recovery timetable for his injury

Smith was finally stepping into the role of primary tight end this season after Kyle Rudolph signed with the Giants. Now, he will have to wait. Minnesota still has Tyler Conklin, who could be looking at a role larger than the second tight end now that Smith is absent.

There’s also Chris Herndon, a former Jets tight end the Vikings acquired in a trade on Tuesday. The trade is pending a physical, but assuming that he passes it, Minnesota will have another player who can help replace Smith’s production. The Vikings gave up a 2022 fourth-round pick in exchange for Herndon and a 2022 sixth-rounder.