At this point, returning to the Minnesota Vikings makes the most sense for Everson Griffen.
This offseason has been unique for the Minnesota Vikings for a number of reasons. One of them being the fact that Everson Griffen isn’t currently taking up a spot on their roster.
Back in February, Griffen decided to void the rest of his contract with the Vikings and enter free agency for the first time in his NFL career. But it’s now been more than three months since the new league year began and the former Minnesota defensive end still hasn’t found a home for the 2020 season.
Since free agency started, Griffen has been linked to multiple teams including the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals. But it hasn’t been anything more than just chatter and he’s just remained unsigned.
Re-signing with the Minnesota Vikings would be best for Everson Griffen
For players joining new teams, it might be more difficult than ever to make an immediate impact during the upcoming season. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vikings and everyone else around the NFL haven’t been able to hold their normal OTA practice sessions and minicamps.
Instead, everything has had to be done virtually and this could have a big impact on how quickly rookies and new veteran additions are able to pick up their new team’s playbook.
Knowing this and knowing that Griffen has now missed the entire virtual OTA period, it seems difficult to believe that he would be able to make a significant impact for a team in 2020 other than Minnesota. He’s already missed out on too much time this year to join a new team where he’d have to learn a different defensive scheme.
After another Pro Bowl campaign in 2019, Griffen was probably hoping to get close to the $13 million he was due to make in 2020 with his old contract. At 32-years-old, however, he might need to face the reality that no team is probably going to pay him like he’s still one of the top defensive ends in the league.
At this point, Griffen should really take whatever the Vikings can offer if he wants to continue playing in the league. He already knows the system and he can still make an impact for Minnesota’s defense even if he’s not a starter.
What the Vikings can currently pay him is likely going to be significantly lower than what he was hoping to get paid in 2020. But with the amount of valuable offseason time he’s already missed, returning to Minnesota should be an easy decision for Griffen to make.