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Countdown to the Vikings Season Opener: 76 Days 0 2 minutes read The Minnesota Vikings season opener at Cincinnati is 76 days away. Fans are excited to watch this team again. Even being at training camp will be more exciting than usual given how last season unfolded. From 2006-2011 that number 76 was worn by Hall of Fame left guard Steve Hutchinson. Before arriving in Minnesota, he spent five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and was drafted no.17 overall by them out of Michigan. The Vikings signed him to a $49 million/seven-year deal, which was the richest in league history for a guard. The deal also included the infamous “poison pill,” which meant his whole contract would be fully guaranteed if he was not the highest paid lineman on the team at any point of his deal. Seattle chose not to match the offer. He spent his final NFL season in 2012 and in 12 seasons, he started in all 169 games he appeared in. Hutchinson was elected to the Hall of Fame last year.
Vikings Announce Jersey Numbers For 2021 Rookie Draft Class Let's take a look at the history and aesthetics of these numbers for the Minnesota Vikings' 11 drafted rookies. Author: May 4, 2021 We already knew a few of them, but now we've got all of them. The Vikings officially announced the jersey numbers for their entire 11-member 2021 draft class on Tuesday. Let's go through each one, note some previous Vikings who have held that number, and make a snap reaction based on history and aesthetics. LT Christian Darrisaw — 71 Notable former Vikings: David Dixon, Phil Loadholt, Riley Reiff, Doug Davis Darrisaw is replacing Reiff as the Vikings' left tackle, so it works out for him to take Reiff's old number. Darrisaw wore 77 at Virginia Tech, but that number is retired in Minnesota for the late Korey Stringer, so 71 is the next-best thing. This is a strong choice.
Copy shortlink: The first draft choice Rick Spielman made, with full control of the Vikings' roster as their general manager, was to select USC tackle Matt Kalil fourth overall in the 2012 draft. Kalil, the Vikings hoped, would become a decade-long fixture at left tackle; he made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, as part of a Vikings line that thrived blocking for league MVP Adrian Peterson on a surprise playoff team. All five Vikings linemen started all 16 games that season, and three of them got paid as a result: the Vikings ponied up extra money to keep the Bears from snatching right tackle Phil Loadholt in free agency the next spring, and doled out extensions to guard Brandon Fusco and center John Sullivan in the following years. During a press conference in 2016, while referencing a Vikings study that showed highly-drafted linemen tended to turn into better players, Spielman held up Fusco and Sullivan as examples of how the Vikings had found success bucking the trend.
The Four Vikings Players Most Likely to Sign Extensions This Offseason The Vikings could be looking to lock up these stars long-term this offseason. Author: Mar 7, 2021 One important order of business the Vikings have this offseason is to negotiate contract extensions for a few key players. Extensions come in different shapes and sizes — they can be done to get ahead of free agency, to keep a player happy with a pay raise, to lower their cap hit in the upcoming season, or some combination of all three. Here's a look at the Vikings' top four extension candidates in 2021. Brian O'Neill, RT