Vikings homecoming: Minnesota signing Everson Griffen

The Minnesota Vikings are looking to bring back Everson Griffen to amplify their pass rush.

After splitting last season with the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions, it seems as though veteran pass-rusher Everson Griffen will be heading back to the Minnesota Vikings.

2021 will be Griffen’s age-34 season out of USC. Though he has mixed results in his 2020 campaign with the Cowboys and the Lions, Griffen had been a pass-rushing staple the decade prior in the Twin Cities. He was a four-time Pro Bowler in a Vikings uniform, recording 74.5 sacks from 2010 to 2019. Griffen looks to bring experience to a Minnesota front-seven in need of it.

While this move has great sentimental value, Griffen will not be a panacea for all of their issues.

Everson Griffen is coming home, as he will sign with the Minnesota Vikings

While the Vikings are probably going to have to settle for one of three wild card spots in the NFC, they still face great pressure as an organization this year. Minnesota should be a top-seven team in its conference this year, so missing out on the NFL playoffs would be seen as a massive failure. Unfortunately, doing so could potentially cost their long-time head coach Mike Zimmer his job.

Ultimately, Griffen should be used as a situational pass-rusher at this stage of his career. If he can get the Vikings somewhere around 7.5 sacks this season, that would be phenomenal. While he was a Pro Bowler in his last season in a Vikings uniform, keep in mind that he is four years removed from his last double-digit sack season with Minnesota. He had a career-high 13 in 2017.

Griffen will improve the Vikings defense, but their ceiling will be defined by what the offense does.