The Minnesota Vikings announced the official free agency signing of offensive tackle Riley Reiff on Friday, March 10, 2017.
While the announcement was made the day prior that the Minnesota Vikings had agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Riley Reiff, the move hadn’t been made official with an ink-to-paper status change.
It didn’t take the Vikings long to change that. On Friday, March 10, 2017, Minnesota announced that they had brought in the physical lineman to get the paperwork done on his contract and have already organized the press conference.
Here is the Minnesota Vikings announcement on Twitter that Reiff is now officially a member of their franchise:
https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/840252425323839489
The Vikings went a little more in-depth about their signing of Reiff on their official website. Here is what they had to say about what the offensive lineman brings to the table:
"“Reiff was Detroit’s starting left tackle from 2013-2015 before switching to the right side in 2016. He helped the Lions make the playoffs as a Wild Card team with a 9-7 record.The durable and versatile tackle has missed three games over the past four seasons since becoming a full-time starter. He was used as a blocking tight end during his rookie season before making his first career start at left tackle in place of Jeff Backus on Thanksgiving Day against Houston.”"
With Reiff in place, the Vikings are more likely to look for another tackle for the offensive line without concern of which side they play on. Reiff’s versatility allows the team to be flexible going forward and not pigeonhole themselves into needing one position more than another.
Here is a tweet from the official Vikings account showing Reiff signing his contract, although the duration and financials are not yet available:
Putting pen to paper. #Skol pic.twitter.com/XyCKWqjy0h
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 10, 2017
Next: Vikings to meet with RB Eddie Lacy
Congratulations to the Minnesota Vikings for landing one of the top available offensive tackles in free agency. Also, The Viking Age would like to officially welcome Riley Reiff to one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL!