Everson Griffen announces departure from Vikings

One of the longest-tenured Minnesota Vikings will be finding a new team this offseason.

Defensive end Everson Griffen announced in an Instagram post Friday that he will be leaving the Vikings as a free agent after ten seasons with the organization.

View this post on Instagram

When I came to Minnesota as a fourth-round pick out of USC, I had no idea how much my life would change over the next 10 years. I realized my dream of playing in the NFL, went to four Pro Bowls and came within one game of playing in the Super Bowl in front of the best fans in the country. More importantly, I became a husband, a dad, and met teammates who became brothers for life. I also stumbled a few times on my journey and could not be more grateful for the unconditional support and love I received from SKOL Nation. While it is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye, I leave Minnesota in the best physical and mental shape I have ever been and have many Pro Bowl seasons to come! Wherever my next stop is, I will always be grateful to and cheering for the Vikings. Thank you all for the love, support and memories.

A post shared by Everson Griffen (@eversongriffen) on Mar 20, 2020 at 10:55am PDT

A statement from Griffen’s agent suggested that the Vikings simply weren’t going to be able to pay Griffen what he wanted.

Everson Griffen is leaving the #Vikings.

Statement from Griffen's agent, Brian Murphy: "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."

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 20, 2020

The Vikings had made clear they expected to keep Griffen, but when it came down to it, clearly the money did not work. That means a four-time Pro Bowler is up for grabs. Griffen is now 32, but had eight sacks last year and 74.5 over his career. He clearly still has some value as a pass rusher.