Marcus Sherels moving on from the Vikings, reported to sign with Saints

It is being reported that former Minnesota Vikings special teams ace and cornerback Marcus Sherels will sign a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

For the last nine years, Marcus Sherels has worn the purple and gold of the Minnesota Vikings while being one of the best special teams players in the NFL but it is being reported he is trading in those colors for black and gold.

Free agency can be a tough time. Some fan favorites end up going to new teams while other players come to new teams to get another chance to shine. Sadly, that means some longtime cornerstones of the team leave sometimes…and that includes Sherels.

The news was broken by Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter. Here is his tweet:

The Saints will be getting an excellent punt returner who also plays extremely well in special teams coverage. In addition, he can play cornerback in a pinch, but likely won’t be part of the regular rotation in New Orleans.

Marcus Sherels leaves the Vikings as the team’s franchise leader in the number of punt returns (231), punt return yardage (2,447), and punt return touchdowns (5) after playing 120 games for Minnesota.

At 31 years old, there is still plenty of gas in the tank for Sherels and the team will likely feel his absence on special teams. In addition, fans who have enjoyed the success the Rochester, MN native had in his home state after playing for the University of Minnesota, as well as the Minnesota Vikings, will likely be a bit disappointed to hear him moving on to the Big Easy.

It’s sad to see a player leave the Minnesota Vikings after nine seasons with the team, especially one with so many ties to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but we at The Viking Age would like to thank Marcus Sherels for his time with the team and wish him luck in his future endeavors.