5 players the Minnesota Vikings gave up on too soon

Daniel Carlson, kicker

When Minnesota Vikings fans saw the title of this article, they knew that Daniel Carlson would be one of the players featured as being given up on far too soon and they are definitely correct to assume that.

The Vikings used a fifth-round pick on Carlson in the 2018 NFL Draft and only got to have him kick for two games before releasing him. He did struggle mightily in those two games, but that play wasn’t representative of his ability.

Carlson was scooped up by the Raiders and has connected on 89.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 95.3 percent of his extra points since, earning All-Pro First Team honors in 2022 for his great performance.

The Raiders will likely try to keep Carlson around for as long as possible but the Vikings have since seen up-and-down performances from Greg Joseph and may still be looking for a long-term answer at kicker going forward.