Ryan Longwell - K
While Brett Favre was the headliner on the 2009 Vikings, he wasn’t the only former Packers player on the team. After years of kicking woes, Minnesota signed Ryan Longwell in free agency before the 2006 season and filled their kicker position for the next six years.
After spending his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers, Longwell became one of the NFL’s top kickers during his nine years with the Packers. Longwell made just over 81 percent of his field goals and converted 98.9 percent of his extra points in Green Bay before signing with the Vikings.
Longwell didn’t take long to make a difference in Minnesota, as he accounted for all 16 of the team's points in his second game with the Vikings. He was a steady presence in Minnesota, making 86 percent of his field goals and 97 percent of his extra points in six seasons.
Longwell’s history with the Vikings could have been even better if Favre had not thrown a critical interception late in Minnesota’s loss in the 2009 NFC Championship to the New Orleans Saints, but he was a central figure after spending 15 years in this rivalry.
Keith Millard - DT
One of the forgotten Vikings greats, Keith Millard, was on his way to becoming the next great defensive lineman in franchise history before a knee injury in the early 1990s. But the end of his career featured a pit stop with the Packers and a huge case of what could have been.
Millard was a first-round pick by the Vikings in the 1984 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact with 11 sacks during his rookie season. Millard went on to have 10.5 sacks in his second year in 1986 and was a second-team All-Pro selection before breaking out during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
Those two years are among the best seasons ever by a Minnesota defensive tackle, as Millard collected 26 sacks, was a two-time first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, and was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1989, setting what was the NFL’s record for sacks by a defensive tackle with 18 (Aaron Donald broke this record with 20.5 sacks in 2018).
Millard suffered a serious knee injury four games into the 1990 season, however, and was never the same player. After missing the entire 1991 season while rehabbing the injury, Millard tried to revive his career with the Packers and the Seattle Seahawks in 1992 before finishing his career in Philadelphia in 1993.