5 former Vikings players who will thrive on new teams in 2022
By Dean Jones
Which former Minnesota Vikings players look set to thrive on new teams in 2022?
The Minnesota Vikings have quietly gone about their business this offseason, keeping around their star players and acquiring talent that should hopefully help their cause in 2022. New general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have opted for a retool rather than tearing the whole thing down, which could go either way based on the level of underachievement over the last two seasons.
There might be a slight opening for the Vikings given that Aaron Rodgers will no longer have Davante Adams to utilize after he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, this will count for nothing if Minnesota cannot get its own house in order, first.
As always, one or two prominent figures within the organization have moved on. That’s just part of the business, but it’s hard to look at the Vikings’ roster and not think it isn’t better placed to mount a postseason challenge when competitive action begins once again.
Looking at how things have transpired in free agency, we picked out five former Vikings players who should thrive on new teams next season.
Player No. 1
Mason Cole – C
It was something of a surprise to see the Vikings not keep Mason Cole in favor of giving Garrett Bradbury yet another go-around at the center position. The offensive lineman was not out of work long, signing a lucrative deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers that Minnesota was never going to match given their financial predicament earlier this spring.
Cole did catch the eye for the Vikings in 2021, giving up two sacks and not conceding a single penalty from 471 snaps to secure a creditable 69.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. Pittsburgh seems like a nice landing spot for the player, although he’ll need to develop chemistry with new quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in double-quick time.