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Well, it finally happened. The Minnesota Vikings and Everson Griffen have decided to squash their beef. After one season away with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, Griffen’s admitting the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and will be returning to the team he spent ten years with. Terms of the contract have not yet been revealed.
Inevitably, some fans are likely wondering why Griffen remained available for so long. If 31 other teams haven’t signed Griffen, how can he help the Vikings?
Everson Griffen has always wanted to come back home
We’ve all been there. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan. When approached by team officials about a pay cut, Everson Griffen called the Vikings’ bluff. The team cut him. Griffen, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive end, took his chances elsewhere in the hopes of proving the Vikings wrong.
While Griffen did fine in his time away, totaling six sacks in 528 snaps across 14 games and two starts, he didn’t feel the same love. Griffen was traded by the Cowboys to the Lions, where he forced three fumbles. Even then, Griffen wasn’t whole.
In his time away from Minnesota, Griffen realized he wasn’t receiving the same love and respect felt from the Vikings fans he became so fond of. Griffen isn’t the only veteran to return to the Vikings after playing elsewhere this offseason. Mackensie Alexander, Stephen Weatherly, and Sheldon Richardson all traded in their old jerseys for another purple one. Everson Griffen just becomes the latest to make the club.
As Griffen said in his press conference, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. For the Vikings, it wasn’t pretty either. Danielle Hunter missed the entire 2020 NFL season. And without their top two pass rushers, the pressure was practically non-existent. Not even trading for Yannick Ngakoue could solve the issues.
Everson Griffen will play a situational role for Vikings
The Vikings hope Griffen can help add to the reinforced defensive core as they aim to return to top form in 2021, he just might be playing a different role. The Vikings have yet to announce who the Week 1 starter will be opposite of superstar pass rusher Danielle Hunter. For now, the competition comes down to veteran Stephen Weatherly or second-year pro D.J. Wonnum.
One name we can likely rule out is Everson Griffen. Signed about three weeks before the season begins, Griffen likely needs some time to get back into football shape. While Griffen has been working out on his own, nothing compares to game shape.
Click here for our Minnesota Vikings 2021 season preview and predictions
As head coach Mike Zimmer mentioned, Griffen is being brought in as a situational player to rotate in along the defensive line. In his first stint with the Vikes, Griffen lined up at right defensive end — sometimes kicking inside to defensive tackle in obvious passing situations.
Wherever he lines up, Griffen already knows the system co-coordinators Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer operate. Getting back in his groove should come easily for Griffen in a familiar atmosphere surrounded by support from his biggest fans.
Locker room missed Griffen’s passion and enthusiasm
Not only does Everson Griffen have tons of support in the form of thousands of Vikings fans, he also has a lot of respect within the locker room. Andre Patterson became the Vikings’ defensive line coach in 2014, the same season in which Griffen became a full-time starter. Patterson coached Griffen for six seasons in Minnesota and has since gained more influence, becoming the co-defensive coordinator in 2020.
Aside from coaching ties, his teammates have missed the energy and passion for the game that Griffen brings every day.
As many Vikings fans have seen over the years, Griffen was frequently seen hyping up the roster just moments before kickoff. Locker rooms don’t usually get pumped up by just anyone. It’s not like the team trainer gets out there to fire up the gang. But Griffen always could.
Getting nearly 50 grown men as excited as a kid to play a game is no small task, but it also shows Griffen was well-liked and respected within the team.
As far as those Tweets from Griffen in January about Kirk Cousins? Though we may not have official proof in the form of a now-deleted Tweet, much worse has been said within locker rooms throughout the years. The Vikings would not have signed Griffen if they felt any sort of locker room schism could come from adding him, the topic was surely covered during their long chat.
Eversnon Griffen and Cousins were teammates for two seasons. They know each other well. Cousins knows Griffen can be a bit of a hothead at times, it’s also what makes him a tenacious defender. Both players have a reputation for being leaders on their side of the ball. A simple apology, followed by a conversation, which Griffen mentioned he plans to do, is all that needs to be said for a few Tweets to almost disappear forever.
Expectations for Everson Griffen’s return to Minnesota
While Everson Griffen was initially signed to fill a situational role, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he regained the starting right defensive end job after just a few games. Stephen Weatherly and D.J. Wonnum have yet to stick out from one another, lending some credence to the idea of the starting role being up for grabs.
Out of the in-house options, with 80.5 career sacks, Griffen is the most proven. Griffen knows the expectations of the coaching staff and he knows what it takes to be a part of a top-ten defense.
With the impressive depth of the Vikings’ defensive line, the days of Griffen playing 800 snaps are probably gone. Though, fewer snaps could lead to Griffen being more effective late in the year. A rotation shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. On the Vikings defensive line in 2021, for everyone other than Danielle Hunter, rotating in and out is likely to become the norm.
The idea is, with fresher legs and more energy in crunch time, players will be in a better position to give extra effort when the time comes to make game-winning plays. Rick Spielman has done a great job of bringing in talented individuals and Andre Patterson has been incredible at developing defensive linemen. After about as ugly of a year as could be, the Minnesota Vikings defense should be as strong as ever in 2021.