Vikings: John Sullivan had a good run in Minnesota

The Vikings appear ready to move on from long-time starting center John Sullivan.

The center battle appears to be over in Minnesota, and Joe Berger looks like has come out the winner.

But what of long-time starter John Sullivan? According to USA Today, the Vikings have been shopping the 31-year-old veteran.

No word yet on whether the Vikings have received any interest.

Sullivan was drafted in the sixth round in 2008 and in 2009 he took over as the starting center after the departure of Matt Birk.

In 2012, Sullivan was recognized by Pro Football Focus as an All-NFL first-teamer. Not at all coincidentally, Adrian Peterson ran for over 2,000 yards that particular year.

Blocking for a 2,000-yard running back is always guaranteed to get you attention.

Sullivan was incredibly durable for most of his Vikings career, missing only three total games in six seasons. That run of good health ended last year when Sullivan developed a back problem.

That back problem put Sullivan out for the whole season, paving the way for journeyman Joe Berger to become the starting center.

Berger performed well enough last year to rank in the PFF top 50. That plus his low cap number makes him a valuable asset to the Vikings.

The Vikes decided Berger has more value than Sullivan, hence their decision to shop the latter around.

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It was a good run for Sullivan in Minnesota. Among all-time Vikings centers, he ranks somewhere behind Mick Tingelhoff, Jeff Christy and Matt Birk, but ahead of Kirk Lowdermilk.

Sullivan leaves behind a legacy as a solid player, a good leader and an overall shining example of what a Vikings player should be.

With Sully now on his way out, Nick Easton looks to be the backup center. The Vikings acquired Easton last year in the trade that sent Gerald Hodges to San Francisco.