6 biggest gifts given to the 2019 Minnesota Vikings

Griffen’s resurgence

There was a time in the 2019 offseason when it looked like Everson Griffen‘s time with the Vikings may be over.

Griffen was coming off a down year where he had 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He also missed a handful of games to work on his mental health and when he returned to the team, he didn’t have the same burst or fire that he usually played with.

Many figured age caught up to Griffen and he was entering the point of his career in which his play just begins to decline. With Minnesota’s tight cap situation, it was thought that the team would look to trade him or flat out cut him to create some more spending money. Instead, he agreed to a restructured, team-friendly deal and what a gift that has turned out to be for the Purple this season.

Griffen has clearly played with a chip on his shoulder this year and he looks to be as spry as he was back in the first few seasons of his career.

This year, he has been flying off the football and wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He’s registered eight sacks this season, plus a ton of quarterback hurries, and he’s been a beast against screens and the run as well.

Griffen’s resurgence in 2019 was completely unexpected and a present the Vikings are truly grateful for.