Minnesota Vikings will be seeing an old friend in Week 1 next season
By Adam Patrick
Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace agreed on a one-year deal to join the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
There was a bunch of excitement in the air after the Minnesota Vikings sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in 2015 in exchange for receiver Mike Wallace.
The Vikings needed an explosive deep-threat for their offense and they felt Wallace fit the role perfectly. Prior to joining Minnesota, the receiver caught a total of 47 touchdowns from 2009 to 2014 during stints with both the Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite the optimism surrounding him heading into the 2015 season, Wallace was never able to live up to his expectations with the Vikings.The receiver caught just 39 passes for 473 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games with Minnesota.
His lack of success with the Vikings in 2015 was the combination of a bunch of factors.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota’s offense was tailored around running back Adrian Peterson, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was playing in his first full season as a starter, and Wallace struggled to haul in passes even when he actually was thrown to (four drops in 2015).
During the 2016 offseason, the Vikings decided they had seen enough and released Wallace.
Following his departure from Minnesota, the receiver ended up signing with the Baltimore Ravens. During his introductory press conference with the Ravens, Wallace threw the Vikings and their offense under the bus when he blamed his lack of success in 2015 on not having a, “good quarterback.”
After a spending the last two years with Baltimore, the former Minnesota receiver has now agreed to join the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Wallace and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a one-year deal on Thursday. The Eagles needed to add a deep-threat after recently trading receiver Torrey Smith to the Carolina Panthers and they clearly feel Wallace can takeover that role.
Next: Which 2018 free-agents will the Vikings re-sign?
The receiver’s first regular season action with Philadelphia in 2018 will reportedly come against the Vikings during the NFL’s annual Thursday night kickoff matchup. Wallace will have an on-field view as Minnesota and their new “good quarterback” attempt to ruin the Eagles’ night of celebration.