{"id":107297,"date":"2024-03-20T01:37:32","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T01:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=107297"},"modified":"2024-03-20T01:39:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T01:39:24","slug":"vikings-agree-to-terms-with-34-million-former-pro-bowler-in-free-agency-kieu-linh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/vikings-agree-to-terms-with-34-million-former-pro-bowler-in-free-agency-kieu-linh\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Agree to Terms With $34 Million Former Pro Bowler in Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0added another piece in free agency, continuing their re-tool on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjAzNzIzODAxNDIxMTYyMzg2\/bflo.jpg\" alt=\"Why isn't Vikings' Brian Flores getting head coach interviews? - Sports  Illustrated Minnesota Vikings News, Analysis and More\" width=\"894\" height=\"596\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBreaking: Free agent CB\u00a0Shaq Griffin\u00a0is signing with the #Vikings on a\u00a01-year deal, up to $6M, sources tell @BleacherReport,\u201d\u00a0Bleacher Report\u2019s Jordan Schultz reported\u00a0on X on March 19.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0team confirmed the signing\u00a0a short while later.\u00a0Vikings.com\u2019s Craig Peters noted\u00a0Griffin\u2019s 79 starts and 89 total games of experience in a young cornerback room. Former\u00a0Arizona Cardinals\u00a02019 second-round pick\u00a0Byron Murphy, who is just 26 years old, currently leads the group.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Shaq Griffin!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3sRzEqx7cg\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/3sRzEqx7cg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Apollo Texans (@ApolloTexans) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ApolloTexans\/status\/1723804907105316903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After Murphy, 2022 fourth-round pick\u00a0Akayleb Evans\u00a0and 2023 third-rounder\u00a0Mekhi Blackmon\u00a0logged the most snaps at corner last season,\u00a0per Pro Football Reference.<\/p>\n<p>Evan\u2019s draft classmate, former second-round pick\u00a0Andrew Booth, was fourth.<\/p>\n<p>Griffin, 28, split last season between the\u00a0Houston Texans\u00a0and\u00a0Carolina Panthers. The Texans released him in November amid a\u00a0career-low 57% snap share\u00a0on defense. He had also logged fewer than 18% of his squad\u2019s special teams snaps every year of his career before last season.<\/p>\n<p>He logged 43% of Carolina\u2019s special teams snaps after his arrival. Griffin was up to 57% of those snaps for Houston.<\/p>\n<p>That shift played a part in his exit from Houston during the season.<\/p>\n<h2>Texans Cut Shaq Griffin Over Playing Time<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4924102 visible aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1790004475-e1710895192563.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Shaquill Griffin, Minnesota Vikings\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4924102\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1790004475-e1710895192563.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" \/><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4924102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p>\u201cGriffin was starting until former first-round draft pick\u00a0Derek Stingley Jr. was activated from injured reserve,\u201d\u00a0KPRC 2\u2019s Aaron Wilson wrote\u00a0on November 29. \u201cGriffin played sparingly the past few games, playing on special teams while Stingley intercepted two passes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Texans released Griffin primarily because he was no longer playing on defense, which represented a big change in status for the former third-round draft pick from Central Florida, and they wanted to utilize other players they considered had more value and experience on special teams, according to sources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Houston waived Griffin on November 29 and Carolina won their claim for him on November 30.<\/p>\n<p>Griffin signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0ahead of the 2021 season only to be cut in what was largely a\u00a0cost-cutting move\u00a0two years later.<\/p>\n<p>The 6-foot corner has banked\u00a0$34.3 million in career earnings, per Spotrac, who also projected that he would land a\u00a0one-year, $2 million contract\u00a0in free agency. That is three times less than what the Vikings gave him over the same span.<\/p>\n<p>Opposing passers have\u00a0completed at least 60% of their passes\u00a0in Griffin\u2019s direction in all but one of his previous seven seasons in the league.<\/p>\n<p>That lone season was his Pro Bowl campaign in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Griffin has seven interceptions in his career, logging one last season after a two-year drought. He set a career-high with three picks in 2020. Ideally, Blackmon, Booth, Evans, and even Murphy all take leaps this season rendering Griffin an insurance policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Vikings Begin New Era on Both Sides of the Ball After Free Agency<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4924107 visible aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1238572691-e1710895357143.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4924107\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1238572691-e1710895357143.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" \/><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4924107\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p>The Vikings are stepping into uncharted territory for General Manager\u00a0Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u00a0and Head Coach\u00a0Kevin O\u2019Connell. They must prepare journeyman\u00a0Sam Darnold\u00a0to take the reins from\u00a0Kirk Cousins.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive coordinator\u00a0Brian Flores\u00a0is in a similar spot. He lost his top three edge rushers from 2023 \u2014\u00a0Danielle Hunter,\u00a0D.J. Wonnum, and\u00a0Marcus Davenport\u00a0\u2014 to free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Opening day starting middle linebacker\u00a0Jordan Hicks\u00a0left in free agency too.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Greenard\u00a0and\u00a0Andrew Van Ginkel\u00a0step in on the edges. The latter has experience playing under Flores. And\u00a0Blake Cashman, Greenard\u2019s former teammate on the Texans, replaces Hicks.<\/p>\n<p>With all of the new faces on the Vikings being integrated following free agency, it could prove beneficial in the locker room and huddle that several already have a rapport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_8_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-8 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CLqlp5vagYUDFdpFwgUdfpECkA\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0added another piece in free agency, continuing their re-tool on both sides of the ball. \u201cBreaking: Free agent CB\u00a0Shaq Griffin\u00a0is signing with the #Vikings on a\u00a01-year&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107297\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}