Former Vikings Defender Joins Aaron Rodgers in New York
Josh Frey
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One of the biggest headlines of this offseason involved the Green Bay Packers finally deciding to move on from QB Aaron Rodgers by trading the four-time MVP to the New York Jets.
Now, the Packers will rely on 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love to take over the reins of the offense, something that just about everyone on the other three NFC North teams can be happy about.
However, just ahead of training camp, it appears Rodgers’ new team has added a former Vikings defender to the roster: Ifeadi Odenigbo. On Friday, The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov tweeted, “The Jets have signed veteran pass-rusher Ife Odenigbo, who recorded 3.5 sacks last year and has a total of 14 sacks in his career.”
Odenigbo, a seventh-round pick in the 2017 Draft, has already proven to be much more valuable in the NFL than his draft stock would suggest. The Vikings picked him in 2017, but he spent his rookie season on the practice squad before leaving in 2018 to join the Arizona Cardinals.
While in Arizona, he appeared in just one game, and he recorded a single tackle. Then, he went back to Minnesota in 2019 where he began realizing his true potential. During that 2019 season, the pass rusher appeared in all 16 games, recording 23 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks along with a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.
Odenigbo again proved to be a very important piece of the Vikings defense in 2020 when Danielle Hunter went down with a season-ending neck injury during training camp. He began the season as a starter alongside trade-acquisition Yannick Ngakoue.
The fourth-year pro started 15 games for the Vikings, and while he only recorded 3.5 sacks, it was the second-most on the entire Vikings defense that season. He also recorded 35 tackles during the year, including 3 tackles for loss.
However, this would prove to be his final season in Minnesota, and he left the team for the Cleveland Browns in 2021. This ended up being a bit of a down year for the defender, playing nine games and recording zero sacks.
This past season, Odenigbo spent the majority of the year with the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts, playing 14 games in Indy, once again recording 3.5 sacks during the season, and before being released, he had a spectacular game against the Vikings, recording a sack and a blocked put. He also played a single game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the end of the year.
Now, the 29-year-old joins a number of former Vikings on the Jets, including TE Tyler Conklin, CB Craig James, and LB Chazz Surratt.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.