However, it now appears that neither will begin the season suiting up for the Vikings.
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Center John Sullivan was released after the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t find a trade partner in advance of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline to trim the roster to 75 players. The NFL reporter adds that Sullivan is healthy after missing all of last season.
Sullivan returned from a back injury that kept him out for all of last season and started the first two preseason games, but the Vikings chose to go with Joe Berger at center.
Sullivan was hoping to be the starting center and anchor the offensive line when the Vikings travel to Tennessee on September 10. He started in at least 14 games from 2009 through 2014, suiting up for 16 on four separate occasions. He has two years remaining on his contract.
Active in the Twin Cities community, Sullivan was named Vikings Community Man of the Year in 2013, the same year that he donated a playground to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.
Berger, conversely, will take up just $1.4M despite profiling as a top-end snapper last season. While Berger is at 34 years old is by no means a long term solution, he offers a cheaper/better solution for the 2016 season.
That game was considered the dress rehearsal for the Vikings’ regular-season opener on September 11 – key veterans are unlikely to play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams – but Sullivan did not handle one snap.
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Sullivan has been competing with Joe Berger for the starting job throughout camp. They might not anyway, considering Berger’s age and Sullivan’s contract expiring after 2017.
