Who will the former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher sign with this year?
During his career with the Minnesota Vikings, Everson Griffen was able to establish himself as one of the top pass rushers in the entire NFL. Griffen was promoted to the Vikings starting defense in 2014 and since then, he’s accumulated the third-most sacks of any defensive end in the league.
Despite his accomplishments during the last few seasons with Minnesota, the veteran pass rusher is still a free agent. For whatever reason, Griffen hasn’t been able to find a team that is willing to sign him since free agency began in March.
A return to the Vikings for the experienced defensive end hasn’t been completely ruled out. But one would imagine a deal would have already been completed by now if it was truly a legitimate possibility.
With much of the offseason just about over, it might be hard for Griffen to adjust to a new defensive scheme if he ends up signing with a team outside of Minnesota. At this point, however, he’s likely open to joining just about any team in the NFL if they’re willing to sign him.
There have been a number of teams who seem to consistently be in the discussion of those who might add Griffen to their roster this year including the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, and Dallas Cowboys.
But who are some of the other teams around the NFL that could come out of nowhere and sign the former Vikings defensive end before the start of the upcoming 2020 season?
Carolina Panthers
As the Panthers prepare for the 2020 season, they are doing so with a number of familiar Vikings faces. Former Minnesota first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater, is Carolina’s new starting quarterback and the Panthers also added former Vikings defensive end Stephen Weatherly to their roster this year.
Carolina has actually been a destination where a number of former Minnesota players have landed over the last few years. Guys like Jarius Wright, Joe Webb, Taylor Heinicke, Mike Remmers, Charles Johnson, and Jared Allen have all enjoyed stints with both the Panthers and Vikings during the last decade.
With new head coach Matt Rhule now in charge, Carolina made the decision earlier this year to switch their defense back to a 4-3 scheme. Currently, Weatherly and Kawann Short appear to be the guys who will open the season as the Panthers’ two starting defensive ends.
Everson Griffen has excelled in a 4-3 defensive alignment, so it likely wouldn’t be incredibly difficult for him to adjust to Carolina’s scheme. Will Griffen become the next former Minnesota player to suit up in a Panthers uniform?
Pittsburgh Steelers
If Everson Griffen is looking to play for one of the most well-respected franchises in the entire NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers should be a destination that interests him.
If he ended up with the Steelers, Griffen would also have the opportunity to reunite with a coach who he has worked with in the past in current Pittsburgh defensive line coach, Karl Dunbar.
Dunbar was the Vikings defensive line coach for the Vikings from 2006 to 2011 and he had Griffen on his roster for the defensive end’s first two years with the team.
Now Dunbar is on the Steelers staff and he’s got a group of some of the best pass rushers in the league with guys like T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree on his roster. While these two are full of talent, it never hurts for a team to add some more leadership to their roster and this is something Griffen brings to the table.
The former Minnesota defensive end can also lead by example and help Watt and Dupree further develop their pass-rushing skills that are already some of the best in the league.
Pittsburgh runs a 3-4 defensive scheme, so this might be harder for Griffen to adjust to. But if he’s up for the challenge, the Steelers might want to consider bringing him in.
Kansas City Chiefs
After a team wins a Super Bowl like the Kansas City Chiefs did last year, they usually become a hot destination for free agents during the following offseason. These players tend to be okay with taking a little less money than they desire to join a team that just won the Super Bowl as well.
The Chiefs are pretty set with pass rushers on their roster with Frank Clark, Alex Okafor, and Chris Jones on the inside. But adding someone like Everson Griffen to their team should still be something Kansas City is willing to consider.
Especially since the guy who is currently coaching the Chiefs defensive line is very familiar with Mr. Griffen. Current Kansas City defensive line coach, Brendan Daly, held the same position with the Vikings during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
These were the final two years before Griffen became a starter with Minnesota and it was during this time where he really began to figure out what he did well as a pass rusher (13.5 sacks in these two seasons as a reserve).
With Daly’s experience in getting the most out of the veteran pass rusher, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the former Vikings defensive end land with the defending Super Bowl champs this year.
Denver Broncos
During his time in college at USC, Everson Griffen was a part of a talented group of defensive linemen that included five-time Pro Bowler, Jurrell Casey.
Casey ended up getting drafted one year after Griffen and he spent his first nine seasons in the NFL as a member of the Tennessee Titans. This year, Casey decided to sign with the Denver Broncos and help contribute to their defense led by head coach Vic Fangio.
The Broncos could use some more pass-rushing help on their defensive line and perhaps they would be interested in reuniting Griffen with his former USC teammate.
Fangio is also very familiar with what the former Vikings defensive end is capable of since he spent four years in the NFC North as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Should the AFC version of Mike Zimmer make a call to Griffen and try to get him to suit up for Denver this season?