The familiar kicking curse all-too-familiar with the Minnesota Vikings has latched onto the team’s latest placekicker, Greg Joseph.
After missing an extra point, Joseph recovered and converted a 52-yard field goal attempt in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals. However, he couldn’t shake the nerves completely.
Joseph pushed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right on the game’s final play that left the Vikings awestruck as a win slipped from their grasp for a second straight week in a 34-33 loss on Sunday.
Tommy Kramer, quarterback of the Vikings from 1977-89 and the franchise’s second all-time leading passer, offered his two cents of how he’d handle the kicking woes that have surfaced yet again.
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‘You Need to Get in Your Teammates Faces’
Kramer took to Twitter after the loss, like many Vikings fans, to air out his frustrations.
He shared an anecdote of when his kicker, Rick Danmeier, missed an extra point after already missing a pair of field goals.
“I let him have it on the sideline, it brought him to tears,” Kramer said, via Twitter. “I’m not saying I’m right, but sometimes you need to get in your teammates’ faces.”
Danmeier had just missed a extra point after already missing 2 FGs, I let him have it on the sideline, it brought him to tears.
I’m not saying I’m right, but sometimes you need to get in your teammates faces.
The game Kramer is referring to was the Miracle at the Met against the Cleveland Browns in 1980. Danmeier went on to convert a 24-yard field goal but missed his final two extra points. Kramer took matters into his own hands by throwing a trio of touchdown passes in the final quarter to lead the Vikings to victory.
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Zimmer Has Softened on Kickers Over the Years
Mike Zimmer has been one of the league’s unluckiest coaches for kickers — going through five kickers in eight years as a head coach.
Blair Walsh started what has become a kicker carousel in Minnesota after the former sixth-round pick shanked a field-goal attempt wide left in the 2015 NFC Wild Card round against the Seattle Seahawks. Walsh struggled the next season, leading to his eventual release.
The Vikings eventually took another stab at drafting their kicker of the future in Daniel Carlson in 2018. Carlson missed a pair of kicks in a preseason game, which led to Zimmer calling out the rookie kicker in the postgame press conference. Carlson was shaken and struggled against the Green Bay Packers, missing two field goals in overtime in a 29-29 tie. It was his last game as a Viking.
Mike Zimmer is cold-blooded
Zimmer took a softer stance when Dan Bailey caught a case of the yips last season. Bailey missed seven kicks across two games, including four kicks in a 9-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Zimmer consulted the entire locker room on how to address the issue. They kept Bailey for the remainder of the season but released him in March as a salary-cap casualty.
Despite starting 0-2 this season, Zimmer was reserved in the Cardinals postgame press conference, asking Joseph to be more consistent after missing a pair of kicks in Arizona.
Mike Zimmer: his thoughts on Kicker Greg Joseph
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Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has hinted at reducing Jones' workload and using trade acquisition Jordan Mason as part of a "1A/1B backfield structure", ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports. O'Connell specifically mentioned goal-line and short-yardage situations as areas where Mason can help, noting that the Vikings "left a lot to be desired" in those situations last year. Jones returns as the starter after signing a two-year, $20 million contract, but it sounds like he's a long shot to match last season's career highs for snaps (700), rush attempts (255) and touches (306). The only disappointment in 2024 was scoring three times on 24 carries inside the 10-yard line, with just seven total TDs (five rushing) despite playing all 17 games and recording 1,546 yards from scrimmage (his most since 2019) at rates of 4.5 yards per carry and 8.0 per catch. While ceding goal-line carries is never a good thing for fantasy value, Mason's physical presence could help the 30-year-old Jones to stay healthy and maintain his strong per-touch yardage production.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has hinted at reducing Jones' workload and using trade acquisition Jordan Mason as part of a "1A/1B backfield structure", ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports. O'Connell specifically mentioned goal-line and short-yardage situations as areas where Mason can help, noting that the Vikings "left a lot to be desired" in those situations last year. Jones returns as the starter after signing a two-year, $20 million contract, but it sounds like he's a long shot to match last season's career highs for snaps (700), rush attempts (255) and touches (306). The only disappointment in 2024 was scoring three times on 24 carries inside the 10-yard line, with just seven total TDs (five rushing) despite playing all 17 games and recording 1,546 yards from scrimmage (his most since 2019) at rates of 4.5 yards per carry and 8.0 per catch. While ceding goal-line carries is never a good thing for fantasy value, Mason's physical presence could help the 30-year-old Jones to stay healthy and maintain his strong per-touch yardage production.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell expects Mason (ankle) to "bring something to the table" in goal-line and short-yardage situations, ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reports. O'Connell also discussed returning starter Aaron Jones, saying "when [Jones] has... that 1A/1B backfield structure, he can be a total game-changer every time he touches the ball." In other words, O'Connell hopes the 223-pound Mason can be 1B, taking carries between the tackles while Jones gets most of the work in space. The Vikings traded for Mason in mid-March, shortly after San Francisco gave him a second-round restricted free agent tender (and after Minnesota re-signed Jones on a two-year, $20 million contract). Mason missed the final five weeks of his 2024 breakout season with a high-ankle injury, but there hasn't been any report of surgery or a prolonged rehab process this offseason.
The Vikings signed Moore (knee) on Wednesday. Moore missed the entire 2024 season with a non-contact knee injury he suffered in a joint practice with the Dolphins last August. He was a second-round pick by the Cardinals in 2021 and appeared in 39 games for the team across three seasons, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns. In Minnesota, Moore will look to compete with Jalen Nailor for a depth job behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
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Minnesota will sign Jones from free agency, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports. Jones has spent the past four seasons in Jacksonville, but now he'll get a fresh start with a new squad. He's coming off a 2024 season that saw him haul in three of his five targets for 41 yards over 17 games. He also contributed as a kick returner, and he could slot in as a regular special-teams contributor in 2025.
Okudah agreed to a one-year deal with the Vikings on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The 26-year-old corner will head to his fourth team in as many years, hoping to rejuvenate his career after suffering a hip injury last season that held him out nine games. Okudah joins a retooled Minnesota secondary -- while the club managed to retain Byron Murphy on a massive deal, it otherwise lost Shaquill Griffin, Stephon Gilmore and Fabian Moreau to the open market. Okudah has only appeared in 49 percent of his teams' regular-season games through his first five seasons.
The 49ers traded Mason (ankle) to the Vikings on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The 49ers placed a second-round tender worth $5.3 million on Mason when free agency began, but he'll now be shipped out along with the No. 187 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for the No. 160 pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick, per David Lombardi of SFStandard.com. Mason will receive a two-year contract with the Vikings that's worth up to $12 million and includes $7 million guaranteed. Mason served as the 49ers' starting running back for the first half of the 2024 regular season due to Christian McCaffrey being sidelined with Achilles injuries. Through the first eight games of the regular season, Mason rushed for 685 yards and three touchdowns on 134 carries while adding 10 catches (on 12 targets) for 86 yards, though he missed the final five games due to a high-ankle sprain. Ty Chandler was slated to be the Vikings' backup running back, but Mason's addition is an upgrade to the backfield led by Aaron Jones, who agreed to a two-year contract with Minneosta on March 9.
The Vikings signed Wilson to a contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Wilson started 12 of his 17 regular-season appearances with Green Bay in 2024, recording 72 tackles (38 solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups, including one interception, and one forced fumble. The veteran linebacker now stands to play a key rotational role in Minnesota's interior-linebacker corps. He began his career with the Vikings, playing with the team from 2017-20.
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Ex-Vikings QB Sounds off on Kicking Woes: ‘You Need to Get in Your Teammates’ Faces’