Looking back at the past few days, what are some of the pieces of Minnesota Vikings news that flew a bit under the radar as the team prepares for their Week 4 game?
Life after the NFL hasn’t been the greatest for former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (who would probably tell you he’s still not done playing).
Now, Peterson is being sued by Castrol, a motor oil company, for failing to return part of a payment advance he was given when he signed an endorsement deal with the company in 2013.
Castrol canceled their contract with Peterson in 2014 after he was arrested due to charges related to child abuse. The motor oil company recently won an arbitration case against the former Vikings running back, but his company still owes Castrol more than $60,000, hence the reason for the most recent lawsuit.
More recent Minnesota Vikings news that you might have missed
In addition to Peterson being in the news for all the wrong reasons once again, below are a few other Vikings-related headlines from the past few days.
Minnesota signs a veteran TE
In the middle of their preparations for their Week 4 matchup against the New Orleans Saints in London, England, the Vikings made an interesting roster move when they decided to release cornerback Parry Nickerson from the practice squad and replace him with veteran tight end Jacob Hollister.
The departure of Nickerson is likely a good indication that rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. is close to being healthy enough to return to the field after the team gets back from London.
But the addition of Hollister seems like something to pay attention to since none of Minnesota’s current tight ends are dealing with any sort of injury. Could the signing of Hollister, who has 75 catches in the last three seasons, be in preparation of the Vikings possibly moving on from one of their tight ends before this year’s trade deadline?
Rhodes signs with Buffalo
After two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, former Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad earlier this week. But despite being unsigned for the first three weeks of the 2022 campaign, Rhodes is apparently dealing with a hamstring injury already that is expected to prevent him from being called up to the active roster before Sunday.
Efficiency for Cousins not too great right now
After the first three weeks, the Vikings are 2-1, and their last win was thanks in part to Kirk Cousins leading the team to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Despite his late-game heroics last Sunday though, Cousins’ performance has been a bit underwhelming so far this season.
Heading into Week 4, the Minnesota quarterback currently ranks 20th in the NFL in QBR and 20th in the league in EPA. Hopefully, this is something that Cousins is able to improve during the next few weeks as he gets more comfortable with the team’s new offensive scheme.
Ravens place Pierce on injured reserve
This past offseason, the Vikings made the decision to move on from veteran defensive tackle Michael Pierce after he only appeared in eight games for them in 2021. Pierce wound up signing with the Baltimore Ravens shortly after his departure from Minnesota.
Unfortunately, his 2022 season with the Ravens already appears to be over after just three games thanks to a torn biceps.