Everson Griffen, the former Vikings pass-rushing monster, just dropped a bombshell: he wants to make an NFL comeback. That’s right, the guy who hasn’t stepped on an NFL field since late 2021 is apparently eyeing a return to the gridiron, and he’s not letting nearly five full years away from the game stop him.
Five Years Away and 39 Years Old: The Uphill Battle Griffen Faces
You gotta hand it to Griffen for wanting to take this on, but let’s be real, the deck is stacked against him. First off, the dude is 39 years old. Yeah, we’ve seen players be productive in their late 30s, Chris Doleman even came back to the Vikings at 38 and snagged eight sacks in his final season. That’s a legend right there. But the much, much bigger issue is that Griffen hasn’t played since Week 11 of the 2021 season. That’s almost five whole years without a snap. Think about that rust! His second stint with the Vikings ended after that game when they placed him on the Non-Football Illness list following a mental health incident at his home. It ended his 2021 season, and honestly, most of us thought it ended his career chapter then too.
Griffen’s Timeline and The Path Forward
In a recent hour-long interview with Josina Anderson, Griffen opened up about a lot, including reaching one year of sobriety and his bipolar disorder. That’s huge, and we’re all rooting for him on that front. He’s saying he can be ready to play in three months. Now, with the NFL regular season about seven weeks away, that means even if he *is* ready, we wouldn’t see him until late September or early October at the earliest. It’s a bold claim after such a long layoff and everything he’s been through. While we wish Everson Griffen all the best in getting his personal life sorted and trying to get back on the field, it’s tough to know what to expect from this kind of comeback. This isn’t just a physical challenge, it’s a mental one, too.
So, what’s next? We’re heading into training camp for many teams right now, and the regular season countdown is officially on. Griffen has laid out his intent, but now comes the real work: finding a team willing to take a chance on a 39-year-old defensive end who’s been out of the game for half a decade. Keep an eye out to see if any franchise takes a flyer on him come late season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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