5 Vikings players you forgot about from the Mike Zimmer era
By Adam Carlson
Mike Wallace, WR (2015)
The Minnesota Vikings were desperate to get their pass game going and signed Steelers and Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace to a three-year deal worth $60M with $27M guaranteed. The team thought they were getting a star that would elevate the offense, but that wasn’t quite the case.
His first season in Minnesota was a disappointment, to say the least. He caught only 39 passes for 473 yards and a miserable two touchdowns in 16 games played and failed to stretch the field the way he did in Pittsburgh and Miami.
Wallace was supposed to bring out the best in young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but the two couldn’t get on the same page despite Bridgewater earning a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts that year.
Minnesota cut its ties with Wallace after only one season and he immediately rebounded with a 72-catch season that saw him gain 1,017 yards and score four touchdowns. It was apparently just a bad fit between the team and the player.