3 Hall of Famers who almost played for the Minnesota Vikings

Brian Urlacher – LB

For most of the early portion of the 21st century, the Vikings had to deal with going up against Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher twice per season. It was never an easy task and Urlacher was a big reason why Minnesota was only 4-8 against the Bears from 2001 to 2006.

After 13 years in Chicago, the All-Pro linebacker became a free agent during the 2013 offseason. As he figured out what to do next, Urlacher was reportedly considering deals from both Minnesota and the Denver Broncos.

Eventually, the veteran linebacker didn’t sign with either team who was expressing interest in his services. Instead, he decided to retire from the NFL.

In 2013, the Vikings arguably ended up having the worst defense in the entire league. Minnesota gave up the most points that year and their pass defense couldn’t cover a sloth.

Would Urlacher playing in the middle of their defense made much of a difference for the Vikings in 2013? His impact probably wouldn’t have been too significant, but he likely wouldn’t have been much worse than what they put out on the field.