Report: Vikings Inform John Sullivan He'll Be Cut If Not Traded

EDIT: I just want to emphasize that these reports, at this point, are unconfirmed. We will be monitoring this story to see what happens. The cut deadline is about three hours away. -Chris

One of the main stories to follow during this year's Minnesota Vikings training camp was the battle at center between longtime starter John Sullivan and Joe Berger, who replaced Sullivan when he was hurt in 2015. When Sullivan didn't play a single down on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, it looked like the battle was over.

Now, it appears it's definitely done.

According to reports from around the Internet, the Vikings have informed Sullivan that if nobody trades for him before today's 3 PM Central cutdown deadline, he will be released. Teams across the NFL have to have their rosters reduced to 75 by 3 PM Central time today.

Sullivan was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings in the 2008 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He assumed the starting center job in 2009 after Matt Birk moved on to Baltimore, and was the anchor of an offensive line that made it to the NFC Championship Game. He suffered a back injury during the 2015 preseason, and the Vikings placed him on IR with the ability to return, but that return never materialized.

In his stead, Berger played very well in 2015. He was rated as the top run-blocking center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, and apparently did a solid enough job in the eyes of the Vikings' coaching staff to make Sullivan officially expendable.

If these reports turn out to be true, hopefully Sullivan will land on his feet somewhere. He's been one of the NFL's best centers throughout his Vikings tenure, and it would be nice to see him go out in a better manner than this.