Pair of Former Vikings Bolt for Next NFL Gig
Life moves pretty fast in the NFL. Earlier this week, some former Vikings picked up their next gig.
Linebacker Blake Lynch and wide receiver Jalen Reagor are both joining the Los Angeles Chargers. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson had the update on the defender: “#Chargers sign Blake Lynch.” And then Jordan Schultz was coming through for the offensive weapon: “Source: The #Chargers are signing WR Jalen Reagor. He’ll start on the practice squad with the likelihood he eventually gets elevated to the active roster.”
Former Vikings Join the Bolts
Mr. Lynch offered some upside.
The undrafted free agent joined the Minnesota Vikings back in 2020. The 6’3″ defender has good length and snagged quite a bit of work early on in his career. As a rookie, Lynch was involved in four games while starting one. He had 12 tackles and a pass defended.
His sophomore season, 2021, was his best so far.
The man picked up work in sixteen games and started a half dozen. He had 35 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 2 passes defended, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 forced fumble. Lynch picked up these statistics while piling up 218 snaps on defense and then 342 on special teams.
In Los Angeles, Lynch seems likely to be working toward becoming a special teams menace. In fact, he spent some time with the Chargers in 2023 and was exclusively a special teams contributor.
Starting there and then progressing toward some snaps on defense is likely the way to go. In between his stops in Minnesota and Los Angeles, Blake Lynch picked up work with Seattle and Arizona.
Reagor was recently released by the New England Patriots. Safe to say his NFL career has been a disappointment after getting picked by the Eagles at No. 21, one spot ahead of Justin Jefferson (inspiring real-time laughing from Rick Spielman).
The talented receiver got brought to Minnesota via trade back in 2022. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah showed an affinity for underperforming high picks, as evidenced by the separate deal for defensive tackle Ross Blacklock. Getting Reagor to town involved sending over a 5th and a 7th, wasted picks since things didn’t work out particularly well.
As a Viking, Reagor snagged 8 receptions for 104 yards and a score across seventeen games. Or, put differently, a humdrum game for Jefferson. Reagor also got a shot to return punts, but he was largely unsuccessful. The end result was a cut from Minnesota a year later and moving responsibilities to Brandon Powell.
The Chargers and Vikings aren’t scheduled to play each other in 2024. The lone chance of these teams facing off is if both somehow make it to the Super Bowl, an outcome that would be a shocking delight to both fanbases.
The Vikings are currently preparing to make a push for a 4-0 record as they travel to Lambeau Field on Sunday, September 29th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
The Vikings Are Extremely Efficient on Offense
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.