Former Vikings starting offensive lineman signs with the 49ers

More than a handful of years after he was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, veteran offensive lineman Pat Elflein is still doing whatever he can to stick around in the league.

On Thursday, the former Vikings blocker reportedly had the opportunity to work out for the San Francisco 49ers, according to KPRC-TV's Aaron Wilson. Well, on Friday, the 49ers announced that they have signed Elflein.

Elflein didn't appear in a single regular-season game last year, as he was placed on injured reserve by the Arizona Cardinals on August 28th with an undisclosed injury.

San Francisco 49ers give former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman chance to continue NFL career

After an impressive college career at Ohio State, Minnesota decided to use a third-round pick on Elflein in the 2017 draft. At first, it seemed like the Vikings had stumbled upon a very solid starting interior offensive lineman.

Elflein began his Minnesota career in 2017 as the team's starting center. He started 14 games for the Vikings during the 2017 season, and despite some rookie struggles, many anticipated that he would improve as he gained more experience in the league.

Unfortunately, Elflein's performance trended completely in the wrong direction in 2018. He started 13 games for Minnesota in the 2018 campaign, but he allowed a total of 33 pressures, which was the third-most among all NFL centers that year.

Elflein's decline in 2018 led to a position switch in 2019 when he shifted over to left guard. He did manage to get his performance a bit back on track, but he still allowed 32 pressures in 15 starts.

In 2020, the Vikings decided to part with their former third-round pick when they waived him in the middle of the regular season. He was quickly picked up by the New York Jets, who he ended up starting six games for during the remainder of the 2020 campaign.

During the 2021 offseason, Elflein somehow convinced the Carolina Panthers to sign him to a three-year contract worth $13.5 million. But after only appearing in a total of 15 games in two years with the Panthers, he was released during the 2023 offseason.

Elflein then wound up signing a deal with the Cardinals last year, but an injury prevented him from appearing in any matchups during the 2023 regular season.

Now, he's getting another shot to continue his NFL career in San Francisco. Will Elflein end up earning a spot on the 49ers' final 2024 roster, or will he be left looking for another team to play for in the near future?

More Vikings News and Analysis