The Minnesota Vikings have officially begun cutting down their roster ahead of tonight’s 5 PM CST deadline. They’ll have to make some tough decisions along the way, and the first domino just fell there.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, the team cut ties with special teams ace Tavierre Thomas this morning. The veteran safety finished second on the team with 371 special teams snaps last season. That was also tied for the 11th most snaps across the entire league.
Many expected Thomas to stick around through the 2026 campaign, as he signed a two-year, $4.6 million deal to rejoin the team this offseason. The deal also included $1.95 million in guaranteed money, so they’ll be eating that salary with his release.
Back in March, VikingsOnSI’s Will Ragatz thought he was a safe bet to reprise his role in the third phase.
“And while fans understandably don’t pay super close attention to all 11 players on every special teams snap, the Vikings clearly liked what Thomas brought to the table overall,” Ragatz wrote. “He led the team in special teams tackles and earned a strong 84.4 ST grade from Pro Football Focus. That grade ranked 15th out of the 208 NFL players who saw at least 200 special teams snaps in the regular season.”
Still, with the players the Vikings added to the safety room this offseason, Thomas’ role became expendable.
A Deep Safety Room Pushed Tavierre Thomas Off The Roster
The Vikings underwent a slew of changes to the safety room this offseason. Harrison Smith’s departure opened up a gaping hole at the position, and they took the shotgun approach to filling it.
Free agent acquisition Jamal Adams was one of their initial solutions (at least in terms of training camp usage) to solving the Harrison Smith problem. Unfortunately, they never got to see whether that one would pan out, as the veteran safety tore his quad in the preseason opener. Fortunately, they also drafted Miami’s Jakobe Thomas in the third round, and seemingly found a gem in undrafted free agent Jacob Thomas.
Between the two rookies and Harrison Smith’s seemingly inevitable return on the horizon, they have a lot of bodies in the safety room. They probably feel like the rookies can cut their teeth on special teams and also split time at safety (unless someone runs away with the job once the games start to matter). In the end, Thomas became expendable.
His Penalties In The Third-Phase Also Could’ve Contributed To His Departure
Thomas might’ve been a valuable special teams contributor for Minnesota, but he could also be a frustrating one. He had two costly holding penalties that wiped out large returns last season, and his four penalties in the third phase were tied for the seventh-most in the NFL.
While the depth of their safety room is the most significant factor in him getting cut, the penalties sure don’t help. The value he brings to special teams will still help him land a job elsewhere, but his aggressive style of play (both physically and in the penalty department) will also come at a cost.
Minnesota Vikings Surprisingly Cut Ties With Special Teams Ace