Vikings Sign Defensive Tackle Remi Ayodele

It isn’t Anthony Adams and it isn’t Albert Haynesworth (who the Vikings reportedly showed interest in before he went to New England) but the Vikings do have a new defensive tackle in the mix. James Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports the Vikings have signed former Saints DT Remi Ayodele.

Ayodele began his career as an undrafted free agent and practice squad hand, but rose to become a starting tackle for the Saints during their Super Bowl year. Unfortunately for the Saints they had a ton of free agents to deal with this off-season and had to make tough choices. Ayodele was a guy they probably wanted to keep but it was just a numbers game.

The best news on Ayodele is that he’s a true nose tackle, just what the Vikings were looking for after deciding to part company with the under-producing and over-gripey Jimmy Kennedy. He’s looked upon as a solid, workmanlike player who will hold down his position. In other words he’s not exactly Pat Williams in his prime but he certainly sounds like an upgrade over what the Vikings had at NT going into the day.

We’ll wait to see the terms of this deal but I’m assuming the Vikings have given him four years. At 28, he sounds like a good long-term solution in the middle of the defensive line. Pat Williams may still be brought back for depth I suppose.

Update: Judd Zulgad reports that Ayodele’s deal is for 3 years at $9 million.

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