Minnesota Vikings Release Greg Jennings

In a move that comes as a bit of a mild surprise, the Minnesota Vikings have announce the release of wide receiver Greg Jennings.

Jennings, who was signed by the Vikings during the 2013 off-season, played for the Vikings for two seasons, and over that time caught 127 passes for 1,546 yards and ten touchdowns (while playing with four different quarterbacks). Ben Goessling of ESPN.com is reporting that the Vikings asked Jennings to restructure his contract, but the two sides could not come to an agreement. The Vikings' acquisition of Mike Wallace from the Miami Dolphins (a receiver they also pursued in 2013) was enough to push Jennings out of the scene in Minnesota.

It appeared that Jennings had built a nice rapport with young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as the 2014 season wore on, as five of Jennings' six touchdown receptions this season came courtesy of Bridgewater. He also said that he wanted to serve as a mentor for his teammate, Cordarrelle Patterson, who had an incredibly disappointing 2014 season. However, it doesn't appear that's going to happen any more.

By releasing Jennings, the Vikings pick up around $5 million in salary cap space. If they designate him as a 1 June cut, the team can save $9 million but will carry dead money into next season, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Best of luck to Greg Jennings going forward, as he was nothing but a class act during his time as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The team's wide receiver corps certainly looks a lot different than it did 24 hours ago. Will it be for the best? We'll have to see as time moves forward.