Everson Griffen Won’t Re-Sign With Vikings

Everson Griffen and the Vikings are going their separate ways. On Friday, agent Brian Murphy released the following statement (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). 

We have broken off talks with Minnesota because they have to spend their money elsewhere and we decided to now focus our attention on free agency,” said Murphy.

There has been mutual interest between the two sides, but the price tag proved to be prohibitive. One league source estimated that the 32-year-old is in line for a deal worth $8MM-$10MM, plus incentives.

His last deal – a four-year, $58MM extension signed in 2017 – was cut short when Griffen triggered his option to escape. But, had he stayed, there was no guarantee that the Vikings would have kept him. Given their current stance, it seems likely that he would have been released.

The former fourth-rounder has spent his entire career with the Vikings, earning four Pro Bowl nods in ten seasons. This past season, Griffen finished with 41 tackles, eight sacks, and an interception. Since 2011, he’s put up at least 5.5 sacks in every campaign.

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