Minnesota Vikings re-sign Marcus Sherels

After a brief scare on social media late last week, it appears that the Minnesota Vikings will be bringing the greatest punt returner in franchise history back into the fold after all.

Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Vikings are bringing back special teams ace Marcus Sherels on a one-year deal.

Late last week, there were reports circulating around social media that Sherels had agreed to a deal with. . .who else. . .the Carolina Panthers. (At this point, you have to figure that ex-Vikings are either signing there or Seattle, right?) However, those reports turned out to be false.

After a successful career at the University of Minnesota, Sherels joined the Vikings in 2010 and was released and re-signed to the practice squad several times. He took over as the team’s primary punt returner in 2011, and has managed to stick ever since. . .despite there being several years of numerous Vikings pundits (myself included) trying to figure out how the Vikings were going to replace him.

All Sherels has done over the course of his eight seasons in Minnesota is be one of the best special teams players the team has ever had, and certainly the best punt returner. He holds the Vikings’ team record with five punts returned for touchdowns, while no other Viking in team history has had more than two. Those five return touchdowns tie him with Cordarrelle Patterson and Percy Harvin for the most return touchdowns in team history, though it’s worth noting that Harvin and Patterson got all of their touchdowns on kickoff returns. He also has the most punt returns (208) and the most punt return yardage (2,171 yards) in franchise history.

Terms of Sherels’ deal were not immediately disclosed, but he will be back in Minnesota for a ninth season and not going to Carolina (or anywhere else) after all.