The Minnesota Vikings could use an extra edge rusher as they report to training camp this week, and former Pro Bowler Everson Griffen has made it known that his services are available.
Griffin hasn’t played a snap in the NFL since 2021 and has dealt with multiple personal issues, including an arrest last week in Winona, MN. But when talking to NFL insider Josina Anderson, Griffen, who will turn 39 in December, said that he could work himself into playing shape and be a contributor thanks to the changes he’s made in his lifestyle in recent years.
“My desire is to play again, of course,” Griffen said during an appearance on "The Exhibit Show" released on Monday. “...I know the things that I’ve done that burned bridges, but I feel like that’s repairable because I’m willing to do anything to mend them.
“I’m staying clear. You don’t have to worry about me going back to using [drugs] again, because this life is so much clearer. I have my kids with me. I’m able to cook, clean, do dishes, do everything I have to be a dad. And this is my first time doing that in…ever.”
Everson Griffen’s off-the-field issues make a return to the Minnesota Vikings unlikely
Hearing Griffen talk about a comeback is admirable, as it seems like the changes that he’s made have put him on the right track. But when it comes to discussing a potential return to the Vikings, it’s probably something that’s best left alone.
Griffen is a potential Ring of Honor candidate after spending 11 of his 12 seasons with the Vikings. In addition to being a four-time Pro Bowl selection, Griffen officially ranks fifth in Vikings history and eighth according to Pro Football Reference’s unofficial count with 79.5 sacks.
Mix in his status as a fan favorite who watched him become a fixture in Mike Zimmer’s defense in the late 2010s, and it would be a fun story to bring Griffen back. But it’s not just his age and time away from the game that make this a bad idea.
It began when Griffen had a mental health-related incident that led to a leave of absence from the Vikings in 2018. While the incident led him to spend the final three months of the season in a sober house, Griffen recovered and made the Pro Bowl in 2019 before leaving for the Detroit Lions as a free agent for the 2020 season.
After a rough year that included a trade to the Dallas Cowboys, Griffen returned to the Vikings and made the team out of training camp ahead of the 2021 season.
But while he finished with five sacks, he had another incident where he posted pictures holding a gun and claiming intruders were in his home trying to kill him. Police diffused the situation, but Griffen later announced he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and he did not return to the NFL after that incident.
Griffen was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving in 2023, convicted of DWI in Hennepin County in 2024, and was allegedly removed from a Delta Air Lines flight in 2025 for unruly behavior.
While he has made several changes, including a one-year milestone of sobriety, last week’s arrest put him back in the news for the wrong reasons, although the police report by the Winona Police Department did not say that drugs or alcohol were involved.
Everson Griffen’s future shouldn’t include a return to the NFL
Griffin’s interview likely came before last week’s rest, and while he may feel good enough to eventually return to the field, the focus for both the Vikings and himself has to be on him as a person as opposed to a football player.
Going sober is a huge step in that direction, and Griffen even mentioned that he was becoming a better father in the process. But even if Griffen was arrested for driving without an ignition-interlock device that is part of his probation orders from his 2024 conviction, there are bigger risks at play.
Perhaps that’s why Griffen cited bridges he’s burned in the process, and some of them may be inside team headquarters stemming from his 2021 incident. There’s also the ongoing physical risk of developing CTE or anything that could trigger his bipolar disorder, which makes returning to football a bad idea.
In many ways, it’s a situation similar to fellow Vikings great Adrian Peterson. While Peterson is one of the greatest players in franchise history and will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor this fall, he has continued to stress that he could return to the field even at age 41, despite multiple off-the-field incidents since he took his last snap with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.
In the end, Vikings fans have to hope that Griffen finds peace in his new life and focuses on all of the good things that happened in the past year. But even if he believes a comeback would lead to good things, it’s a better idea for all parties involved to move on and focus on a better version of themselves.
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