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Everson Griffen will reportedly opt out of the remainder of his contract, and these five teams should be in the mix to sign him.
After a tumultuous 2018 season off the field, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen had a nice rebound campaign last year. He finished with eight sacks, while playing 78 percent of the defensive snaps as he earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection.
A clause in Griffen’s contract allowed him to void the remaining three years if he had at least six sacks and played 57 percent of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in 2019. According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Griffen has done so and will become an unrestricted free agent.
Griffen’s decision clears $13.1 million in cap space for the financially-strapped Vikings, so that helps them. He has spent his entire career with the Vikings since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 draft out of USC, and has expressed a desire to be a Viking “for life.” So there is a solid chance he goes back to Minnesota on a cheaper deal, but Griffen can now explore other options on his own motivation rather than risk being cut by the Vikings at a later stage.
Griffen proved he had plenty left last year, even with a bit of a fade as his age-32 season went on.
With the premium on pass rushers, these five teams should be in the mix to sign Everson Griffen.
5. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle may lose Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, and while his sack total wasn’t great last season as he played through a core muscle injury, he did provide ample pressure off the edge. As a team the Seahawks had the second-lowest sack total in the league last season (28), so even if they bring back Clowney and he’s healthy, the need for more pass rush is clear.
Griffen played for Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll at USC, so there’s a tie that shouldn’t be disregarded. Seattle needs to allocate some of its cap space (just under $51.6 million right now, per Over The Cap) to address the pass rush, and an easy follow-up to go with finding a way to retain Clowney is to add someone like Griffen.