Hopefully, Jordan Berry Will Remain in Minnesota
K. Joudry
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Before the season began, the Vikings made the decision to bring in Jordan Berry to handle the punting. It’s a decision that ended up paying off.
The 30-year-old punter had a modest $850,000 cap hit, per Over the Cap, ranking 23rd out of 39 punters. He thus gave the Vikings solid value since he performed well throughout the season.
Obviously, a punter won’t get the same attention as, say, a star edger rusher or QB, and nor should they. Even still, punters are an important part of winning football insofar as they can help ensure a team wins the field position battle. Mike Zimmer continually preached about the importance of field position. There’s truth in what he said: every single NFL team wants to have advantageous positions on the football field. A strong punter helps.
A few years ago, Berry’s cap hit approached $2 million for the Steelers. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to get that large of a contract in the future. His 46.5 yards per punt average is actually the best of his career, though he’s getting older. The Vikings could likely bring Jordan Berry back for a deal that isn’t too far north of $1 million per year.
Having some continuity on special teams may be a good thing for a team in transition. It’s looking likely that the defense will have a very different group of players in 2022. The offense, moreover, isn’t above reproach, so there may be some tough cuts to make. Greg Joseph, Andrew DePaola, and Berry did perform well, though, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team try to bring back all three. Of course, it would be wise to ensure there’s some training camp competition for Berry (and Joseph, for that matter).
Having a reliable, veteran punter would be a positive for the team. Sometimes, teams overthink things, opting to change something that’s already rock-solid. Punting may be one of these areas. Bringing Berry back may be the best move.
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