Vikings decide to waive J.J. McCarthy’s former Michigan teammate

Last month, the Minnesota Vikings made J.J. McCarthy the only quarterback in franchise history to be selected in the NFL Draft with a top-10 pick. The Vikings are hoping the former Michigan passer can help transform the team into a consistent contender in the NFC.

After he was drafted, McCarthy also became the third member of Minnesota's current roster to spend at least a portion of his college career at the University of Michigan, joining safety Josh Metellus and wide receiver Daylen Baldwin.

Well, on Tuesday, that number decreased to just two, as the Vikings decided to waive Baldwin a few months after he signed a futures contract with the team.

Why did the Minnesota Vikings waive Daylen Baldwin?

Baldwin declared for the NFL Draft after the 2021 season at Michigan, and he wound up going undrafted in 2022. A few months later, he landed a roster spot with the Cleveland Browns, but he was cut before the start of the 2022 regular season.

In November of 2023, Baldwin signed with Minnesota's practice squad, but he was let go after just a few weeks. Then, this past January, he agreed to a reserve/futures contract with the Vikings.

Baldwin's most recent departure from Minnesota seems to be a result of the team needing to reduce their roster size down to 90 players after signing punter Seth Vernon last week.

It's possible that the former Michigan wide receiver could find his way back with the Vikings before training camp this summer, but they would need to part with another player first in order to make room for him on their roster.

In 14 games during his college career at Michigan, Baldwin caught 17 passes for 256 yards (15.1 per catch) and two touchdowns. Both of his trips to the end zone came courtesy of passes that were thrown by McCarthy.

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