Several high-profile NFL players remain free agents with practice camps starting this week, particularly contributors on the defensive front. One of those players is former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, a ten-year veteran whose contract with the Vikings expired after last season.
Earlier this offseason, APC’s Jon Meerdink investigated how Griffen could help the Green Bay Packers. Now it seems the team is seriously considering taking it on board. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers are one of the teams “expressing interest” in the 32-year-old Griffen, noting that “interest is mutual” with the player.
Chosen in the fourth round in 2010, Griffen played well in a backup role for the Vikings for four seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2014. In the six years since then, he has earned four Pro Bowl appearances and recorded at least eight catches in each full season
Although Griffen has played his entire NFL career as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, his size and skill set would likely translate seamlessly into a 3-4 defense trained by Mike Pettine. Its 6-foot-3-inch, 273-pound frame is similar in size to Za’Darius Smith (6-foot-4, 272) and Rashan Gary (6-foot-5, 277) and their speed and agility times (albeit from the draft year 2010) are noticeably better than Smith’s. Also, Pettine’s penchant for lining up his biggest players on the line in technique 3 to knock down passes would probably give Griffen a great opportunity to pinch his ears and go after the quarterback. And, of course, there is the fact that the Packers lack a clear fourth player in the rotation at the position behind Smith, Gary and Preston Smith.
The money would have to make sense, of course, since the Packers are pretty tight against the salary cap and have several prominent players in need of contract extensions before 2021. But adding Griffen would take the Packers and group’s rush rush. talents to the limit great to truly exceptional.
