5 forgotten former members of the Vikings – Part 3

Michael Griffin – S

Many Vikings fans remember Cedric Griffin playing cornerback for the team in the mid-2000s, but some may not remember that another Griffin suited up for the purple as well. Michael Griffin was a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans back in 2007. He started ten games for the club as a rookie, racking up 64 tackles and three interceptions.

Griffin proved that wasn’t a fluke and was a longtime fixture in the Titans’ secondary, starting just about every game for the team for the next eight seasons. He was extremely productive in his Titans career, showing some serious ball-hawking skills with 25 interceptions. He was no slouch in the tackling department, as he accumulated 773 tackles over that span in Tennessee.

So it was definitely exciting for the Vikings and their fans when the team signed him as a free agent in 2016. The team had been looking for someone to pair with Harrison Smith at safety and landing the experienced and still very productive Griffin seemed like a great move. It wasn’t.

Griffin was injured in the preseason and placed on injured reserve. He was released just five days later. He finished his playing days with the Carolina Panthers before retiring as a member of the Titans. Michael Griffin will always be remembered in a Tennessee uniform, but for a flickering moment that is easily forgotten, he was a member of the Vikings.