Minnesota Vikings release WR Jarius Wright

Warren mentioned this briefly earlier in his look at the roster moves the Minnesota Vikings are making, but I thought it warranted its own mention.

Following the signings of quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings decided they needed to make a move to give themselves some flexibility under the cap, and they’ve done that by releasing a player that, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure they’d cut.

The team has parted ways with wide receiver Jarius Wright, who had played six seasons with the Vikings. He was one of the team’s three fourth-round selections in the 2012 NFL Draft, and though his playing time had dropped significantly over the past couple of seasons, he was seemingly always in the right place at the right time when the Vikings needed someone to make a play.

The move will save the Vikings approximately $2.6 million under the salary cap, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Wright had signed a four-year extension with the Vikings that kicked in at the start of the 2016 season. That deal was worth nearly $15 million, including $7 million in guaranteed money. In his time with the Vikings, Wright caught 153 passes for 2,039 yards and 10 touchdowns, but only 29 of those catches came over the course of the past two seasons.

I think there are two plays that Jarius Wright was involved in that we’re all going to remember for a while. The first was his big 65-yard catch in the 2012 season finale against Green Bay (complete with “peek-a-boo” celebration afterwards). His biggest play, however, came on this short catch against the New York Jets in 2014.

By the way, the last guy that Wright outran. . .or, at least had a serious shot at him. . .on the way to that 87-yard score? None other than Sheldon Richardson.

We wish Jarius Wright the best in his future endeavors. It would have been nice to keep him around, but these sorts of things happen in the NFL, unfortunately. And, yes, he’ll always represent The Daily Norseman.