The Minnesota Vikings are a proud franchise with a rich history. They have rostered some of the best players to ever suit up in the NFL, but have never been able to bring home a single Lombardi Trophy since joining the league in 1961.
That must be crushing for many players who feel they missed opportunities to win a Super Bowl during their time in Minnesota. Some of the teams felt like they had the potential to get it done, but came up short.
One player who has that feeling is former Vikings running back Ameer Abdullah. The second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2015 NFL Draft was with the purple and gold from 2018 to 2021, primarily as a kick returner and a backup for Dalvin Cook.
Ameer Abdullah feels the Zimmer-era Minnesota Vikings underachieved and should have won at least two Super Bowls
Minnesota went 8-7-1 in 2018, 10-6 in 2019, 7-9 in 2020, and 8-9 in 2021. Under head coach Mike Zimmer, those teams were not dominant by any means, but they did make some playoff noise in 2019.
An overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round, unfortunately, led to a whooping by the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round that left a bad taste in the mouths of Vikings fans everywhere.
During a recent appearance on the "More Than What Made Me" podcast, Abdullah spoke about his life, legacy, purpose, and identity. Part of the talk included his frustration about not winning a Super Bowl during his time with Minnesota.
"I'm so mad. Our Minnesota teams underachieved like crazy, man. I'm supposed to have at least two Super Bowls. Like, for real. I really am, man."
A significant reason Abdullah felt bitter about not getting a ring was the talent Minnesota had on its roster when he was with the team. He listed some great past Vikings starters on defense and praised them for their ability to win football games.
"Listen, our defenses were so unbelievable at that time. Like prime Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Tom Johnson, Linval Joseph, Harrison Smith, Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, Andrew Sendejo.
...I'm telling you right now, I'm so mad that we always sh*t the bed when we got to the playoffs, and I honestly just don't even know where to start [about] how it happened. But I'm supposed to have two Super Bowls. I'm supposed to be super content with my career right now."
Abdullah may not have won a ring with Minnesota, but his contributions made his time with the team exciting and interesting for fans. It is just a shame that he ended his time with the franchise with regret and frustration.