4 players who the Minnesota Vikings regret cutting

Tyler Thigpen – QB (2007)

Tyler Thigpen wasn’t a star by any means during his run in the NFL, but he was a player the Vikings definitely should’ve kept around.

Minnesota selected Thigpen in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played fairly well in the preseason as a rookie and he showed the ability to make plays with his legs in addition to his arm.

The Vikings wanted to get him on the practice squad and that was their plan when they released him before the start of the 2007 regular season. Instead, he was claimed by the Chiefs, and supposedly, Minnesota’s head coach at the time, Brad Childress, was not happy about it.

Thigpen spent about two and a half years with Kansas City and he started 11 games for them in 2008. That season he threw for 2,608 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins during the 2009 season. He played for the Dolphins for two years before finishing his career as a backup with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.

While Thigpen was never a star, perhaps his career would’ve been better had he stayed with the Vikings.

He likely would’ve battled Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job and if he developed into a solid No. 2 man, perhaps Minnesota wouldn’t have felt the need to reach for Christian Ponder in the 2011 draft.