Tag: Jarius Wright

25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Vikings’ Jarius Wright walks off the Jets

The last time the Jets came to Minnesota, Jarius Wright walked them off

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the third SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: a Jarius Wright walk-off touchdown.

The last time the Vikings faced off against the New York Jets in Minnesota, it was in the first year of Mike Zimmer and the game was at the home of the Golden Gophers TCF Bank Stadium.

The game was a very even back-and-forth contest that saw the return of Percy Harvin to Minnesota and he caught a 35-yard touchdown from Geno Smith.

Teddy Bridgewater started the game for the Vikings and the rookie played really well, but his best play came in overtime when he was helped by Wright.

On a third and five on the Vikings’ first drive of overtime, offensive coordinator Norv Turner called a tunnel screen and it worked perfection. Pair it with an excellent call by the radio voice of the Vikings Paul Allen and you have an excellent moment in Vikings’ history.

The play worked to perfection as Greg Jennings got a beautiful seal block to spring Wright as he outran future Viking Sheldon Richardson.

The win was one of just six that the Vikings had in 2014, but this helped spring them to an 11-5 season in 2015. That Sunday was a great way to spend my birthday in 2014.

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback

Arkansas Football: The All-2010s Team

Arkansas football produced a lot of talent in the 2010s despite the program’s turmoil. Here’s the best players from that decade by position.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] entered the 2010s looking for more consistent success than they had enjoyed in the previous decade. Entering 2010, [autotag]Bobby Petrino[/autotag] would be in his third season as head coach and had built an extremely solid foundation.

That foundation would take Arkansas football to heights they had never experienced before, but it would only last two short years. After a fateful motorcycle accident in early April of 2012, Petrino’s tenure at Arkansas came to a highly publicized and controversial end.

After John L. Smith’s infamous season as interim head coach, [autotag]Bret Bielema[/autotag] was tabbed as the man to right the ship and get Arkansas football back to prominence in 2013. Under Bielema, Arkansas was able to get back into the postseason and win two bowl games, but were never able to take the next step into championship contention.

Bielema’s reign ended in 2017 and coincided with Jeff Long’s end as athletic director. That led to the controversial hire of first-time head coach Chad Morris in December of 2017. Morris would fail to win a single conference game in either of his first two seasons and was fired by Hunter Yurachek with two games left in the 2019 season.

We end the decade with Sam Pittman being hired in December 2019 to bring the program back to its’ winning ways.

Despite the turmoil and chaos that encapsulated this decade of Arkansas football, the program was able to produce a lot of talented players. Here’s a look at the best players from this decade across each position.

Vikings announce special guest to sound Gjallarhorn at Saturday’s game

The star winger will sound the Gjallarhorn

The Minnesota Vikings are set to host the New York Giants in a Christmas Eve showdown on Saturday. Since the Vikings are at home, they’ll continue a tradition of sounding the Gjallarhorn, something that they’ve started since the opening of US Bank Stadium in 2016.

This Saturday, Minnesota Wild star left wing Kirill Kaprizov will get the honor of sounding the horn. Kaprizov is the first Wild player since center Erik Haula to sound the Gjallarhorn.

Other notable people that have sounded the Gjallarhorn this season:

Sylvia Fowles – Former Minnesota Lynx 
Cris Carter- Former Vikings Wide Receiver
Lonnie Warwick – Former Vikings Linebacker
Charlie Huizinga – Child battling acute Leukemia
Jared Allen– Former Vikings Defensive End
Paul Nakasone- United Stated Four-Star General
Sunisa Lee- Women’s Gymnastic Olympic Champion 
Jairus Wright- Former Vikings Wide Receiver 

Former Vikings WR Jarius Wright says ‘bring me back’ to Minnesota

Would you want to see the Vikings sign former Minnesota wide receiver Jarius Wright?

The last time the Vikings made a serious run at the Super Bowl was the 2017 season. Quarterback Case Keenum had wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to utilize in the passing game, as well as a reliable option on third downs: Jarius Wright.

Now that it’s 2021, Minnesota could use a more reliable wide receiver three. On Twitter, a fan wrote that the Vikings need a No. 3 wideout like Wright. Wright, currently a free agent, quote tweeted that statement, saying “Or just bring me back. Lol”

Wright finished 2017 with just 198 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Laquon Treadwell actually beat him out for receiving yards that season. However, Wright is fondly remembered by Vikings fans for his ability to move the chains when it mattered most.

In my opinion, I’m not so sure Wright beats out Chad Beebe, Bisi Johnson or Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a roster spot. That said, he might be worth taking a flyer on.

Report: Vikings contacted the camp of Jarius Wright, but there’s a ‘low chance’ of him returning

Minnesota has reportedly contacted former Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright’s camp.

Wide receiver Jarius Wright had his moments with the Vikings.

He earned the nickname “Mr. Third Down,” Stefon Diggs told the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, because he was so good at converting when the Vikings really had to push the sticks.

Also according to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, the Vikings contacted Wright about a possible return to the team. However, there is a “low chance” of Wright returning to the Vikings, per Tomasson.

Wright would be a solid addition to Minnesota, considering Diggs has been reportedly traded to the Bills, so now wide receiver depth becomes crucial. However, the Vikings don’t need to make Wright priority No. 1, because he wouldn’t be able to fully replace Diggs’ production, and the Vikings have 12 draft picks in this year’s draft.

One of those picks could be a wide receiver in the earlier rounds, who could come in and replace Diggs. That said, it might be a committee of wide receivers who are vying for that second wide receiver spot. Why not bring back Wright if it doesn’t break the bank?

Panthers officially decline 2020 option for DT Dontari Poe

According to Joe Person, that’s now official, so Poe is about to become a free agent.

The new league year is still on schedule for this week (March 18) at least for now. That means we can expect a flurry of free agency-related news in the next few days heading into the legal tampering period.

As for the Panthers, we probably shouldn’t expect them to be major players in free agency this year. While they have a lot of holes to fill, there’s not much cap space to go around. This move will help, at least. It was recently reported by the Athletic that the team would not pick up the 2020 option for defensive tackle Dontari Poe.

According to Joe Person that’s now official, so Poe is about to become a free agent.

By not bringing Poe back, the Panthers will save around $9.8 million in salary cap space for 2020. It will add another $3.33 million to the team’s league-high dead cap total. At this point, it’s just another drop in the bucket.

Poe has served as the team’s nose tackle for the last two seasons and he did a good job in general. Replacing him won’t necessarily be easy.

In free agency, the top options are Baltimore’s Michael Pierce and Houston’s D.J. Reader. For what it’s worth, Javon Kinlaw and Derrick Brown are two of the most popular mock draft picks for Carolina.

[lawrence-related id=619439]

[vertical-gallery id=619384]

Report: Panthers expected to decline Dontari Poe’s 2020 option

According to a report by Jourdan Rodrigue at the Athletic, the Panthers are expected to decline the 2020 option for defensive tackle Dontari Poe.

Here’s the least surprising headline you’re likely to read all week. According to a report by Jourdan Rodrigue at the Athletic, the Panthers are expected to decline the 2020 option for defensive tackle Dontari Poe.

Poe was always going to be a strong candidate to be let go this year based on the structure of his contract. The team will save around $9.8 million in salary cap space by not bringing him back. They will incur another dead money penalty: about $3.33 million, per Over the Cap. Carolina already leads the league in dead money for 2020 by a massive margin though, so that’s just another drop in the bucket.

Poe has been a solid defender up front for the Panthers. However, he’ll be 30 years old by the time next season starts and he’s coming off a torn quad which required surgery. It just doesn’t make sense to invest another year in him given the way the rest of the roster looks right now.

This decision reinforces the team’s need to take an interior defensive line prospect early in this year’s draft. In our latest seven-round mock, we have them trading down from the No. 7 spot and selecting South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw at No. 13.

[lawrence-related id=619023]

[vertical-gallery id=617403]

Report: Panthers pick up 2020 option for G Chris Reed

The Panthers have picked up the 2020 team option for guard Chris Reed, according to a report by Field Yates at ESPN.

The Panthers have picked up the 2020 team option for guard Chris Reed, according to a report by Field Yates at ESPN.

Reed’s addition to the roster in December flew under the radar. He was claimed off waivers from the Dolphins just two days after the team fired former head coach Ron Rivera.

Reed offers more depth for the interior offensive line, which should be on the laundry list of things the front office needs to address this offseason.

Yesterday, the team declined the option on wide receiver Jarius Wright. Defensive tackle Dontari Poe is expected to get the same treatment.

[lawrence-related id=618752]

[vertical-gallery id=618789]

Report: Panthers declining 2020 option on WR Jarius Wright

Jarius Wright will now become a free agent and the Panthers will save $3 million.

The Carolina Panthers continued to churn their roster Tuesday, opting to decline the 2020 option on wide receiver Jarius Wright, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Panthers had a deadline of March 17 to exercise the option. Wright was also set to receive a roster bonus of $500,000 on March 20. As Rapoport notes, the move will save $3 million in salary cap space for the Panthers. Wright will now become an unrestricted free agent.

Over the Cap projects the Panthers to have around $34 million in cap space after adjusting for the decision to move on from Wright.

Wright had 28 catches for 296 yards and no touchdowns in 2019. In 2018, Wright caught 43 passes for 447 yards and one touchdown.

Wright’s option was one of two the Panthers have to decide on for 2020, with the other being Dontari Poe. Carolina has until March 15 to exercise Poe’s option, otherwise he also becomes an unrestricted free agent.