5 forgotten former members of the Minnesota Vikings – Part 2
By Nik Edlund
![MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 07: John Carlson #89 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the football during the game against the Washington Redskins on November 7, 2013 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 07: John Carlson #89 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the football during the game against the Washington Redskins on November 7, 2013 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fthevikingage-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F08-2F187998890-850x560-4602c7496d117ab1c4969f50a86d5f259d6d59235ad6c61890d6d9139c6859e5.jpg)
WR Mike Wallace
I personally forgot about this one until it was brought up on Twitter last week. In 2015, the Vikings traded a fifth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Mike Wallace and a seventh-rounder. Wallace was known as a big play, deep threat type of receiver, and was seen as one of the fastest in the league.
Wallace played for the Vikings for just one season. He started 12 of 16 games and had 39 receptions for 473 yards and two touchdowns. That was the lowest production of Wallace’s career, and it may have had to do with the fact that he was receiving passes from Teddy Bridgewater, who didn’t exactly specialize in chucking the ball down the field, which was the bread and butter of Wallace’s game. Wallace just wasn’t a great fit in Minnesota for their offense at the time and seemed to be quite frustrated with his role on the team.
Wallace finished his career with very impressive numbers. He ended up with 538 receptions for 8,072 yards and 57 touchdowns. There was a fairly long stretch where he was considered one of the best in the NFL, and while his time in Minnesota didn’t go well, it’s still fun remembering this speedster suiting up for our beloved Vikings.