Former Vikings CB Continues NFL Journey with NFC Rival
Part of what made former Vikings CB Parry Nickerson notable was that he bridged the gap between the Mike Zimmer and Kevin O’Connell eras.
Shifting things over to Ed Donatell meant things were looking very different for Minnesota’s defense, but Nickerson stuck around in a depth role. He didn’t hang around in 2023, though, and the 2024 season is bringing even more change. Per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Philadelphia Eagles have welcomed the corner aboard: “#Eagles signed Parry Nickerson.”
Former Vikings CB Continues NFL Journey
Originally, Parry Nickerson got into the NFL via the 6th Round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He got scooped up at 179th by the Jets after playing his college ball at Tulane.
Nickerson quickly turned into a journeyman. His rookie season involved playing for the Jets, getting involved in all sixteen games while starting a pair. He picked up 21 tackles and a pass defended for his troubles.
Nickerson wasn’t in the Big Apple for very long, though.
The corner got traded to Seattle in late August of 2019. However, the Seahawks moved on less than two weeks later, cutting him. He spent 2019 playing for Jacksonville and then 2020 playing for Green Bay. Going back and forth between the active roster and practice squad has been a normal part of his career.
In 2021, the Vikings were moving through no shortage of corner turnover. Gone were long-time contributors like Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Terence Newman. Nickerson was part of a fresh generation of Vikings corners, with Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler being among the more notable names from that time.
In 2021, Nickerson played 17 snaps for Minnesota’s defense and 35 on special teams. However, the 2022 season didn’t involve him getting onto the field. The Vikings leaned heavily on Peterson, Dantzler, Duke Shelley, and Chandon Sullivan in that season at corner. There was then some help from Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., Kalon Barnes, and Tay Gowan.
Minnesota decided to move on in 2023. Nickerson found work with the Dolphins.
In Philadelphia in 2024, Parry Nickerson will be looking to show that he can snag a depth corner job. Darius Slay is older but still in town as one of the Eagles’ top corners. Plus, James Bradberry is still around, Cooper DeJean was a highly-regarded draft pick, and Sydney Brown is another option (among others).
Nickerson stands at 5’10” and weighs 182 pounds. Most recently, the majority of his snaps were in the slot. He ran a 4.32 leading into the draft, a blazingly-fast time that certainly helped his case when it came to getting picked. The defender is going to turn 30 in October.
His deal in Philadelphia is for $1.125 million.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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 and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.