Longtime Vikings lineman Everson Griffen agrees to one-year contract with Cowboys

August 13, 2020 at 5:24AM
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen spent 10 years with the team, but opted out in February and has agreed with the Cowboys.
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen spent 10 years with the team, but opted out in February and has agreed with the Cowboys. (Brian Stensaas — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vikings' effort to bring defensive end Everson Griffen back for the 2020 season ended on Wednesday night, when Griffen agreed to a one-year deal with the Cowboys.

Griffen opted out of his contract in February after 10 years with the team, though coach Mike Zimmer said throughout the offseason he wanted the 32-year-old to return to Minnesota. Zimmer, sources said, was pitching Griffen on coming back, and a source added the Vikings made a "very strong offer" to Griffen, whose contract with the Cowboys could be worth up to $6 million this season.

In the end, Griffen picked a fresh start in Dallas over the chance to stay in the Twin Cities (where he still lives with his family in the offseason). He will be reunited in Dallas with former Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, who's now a senior defensive assistant with the team.

about the writer

about the writer

Ben Goessling

Sports reporter

Ben Goessling has covered the Vikings since 2012, first at the Pioneer Press and ESPN before becoming the Star Tribune's lead Vikings reporter in 2017. He was named one of the top NFL beat writers by the Pro Football Writers of America in 2024, after honors in the AP Sports Editors and National Headliner Awards contests in 2023.

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