Minnesota Vikings set to cut TE John Carlson
By Brad Rowland
When we last heard from Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson, he was being shut down for the season as a result of potentially career-threatening concussion issues, and now, his employer has reportedly decided to cut ties with him.
Vikings will cut TE John Carlson, per source. Sides had been talking about a restructure but couldn't reach an agreement.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 4, 2014
Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that the Vikings will cut Carlson after failing to reach a restructured contract that would satisfy both sides. In 2013, Carlson caught 32 balls for 344 yards, but after coming to Minnesota on a 5-year, $25 million deal after spending three seasons in Seattle, the returns haven’t been terribly high (to put it mildly).
Still, Carlson has considerable talent if he can navigate the concussion question marks, but that is easier said than done. There have been (at minimum) three concussions during a 3-year period for the 29-year-old tight end, and in today’s NFL, that is a bigger issue than ever before. If he can land with an NFL team and dispel those concerns, there is a reasonable amount of upside, but there is also a legitimate possibility that he could be done as an NFL player.