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So, in the midst of all this stuff about the stadium, I caught this coming across the Twitter feed.
To all in Viking Nation.Can't thank you enough for your cheers over the past 6 years!You've been awesome to me and my family. God Bless!
— Ryan Longwell (@4thandLongwell) May 7, 2012
A couple of the Twin Cities' bigger media sources have confirmed that Ryan Longwell has, indeed, been cut by the team. I thought he might have been announcing his retirement from the NFL, but he has been released.
The Vikings did draft a kicker in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft in Georgia's Blair Walsh, but the indications had been that the team was going to have a kicking competition between Walsh and Longwell during camps and things of that nature. However, that competition just got a whole lot more one-sided.
According to Tom Pelissero, Longwell was apparently as surprised by this as we are.
I'm told this was not in any way mutual. #Vikings told Longwell they're moving on. Surprising to say the least.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 7, 2012
Longwell joined the Vikings in 2006, and had a pretty decent six-year run with the Vikings, converting 86% of his field goals (135 field goals in 157 attempts). Once we get more on the impetus behind this, we will pass it along.
Thanks for the memories, #8.