Unsung Viking Snags League Honor as Minnesota’s Marquee Men are Overlooked
K. Joudry
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Well, Vikings fans should be thankful for long snapper Andrew DePaola.
For the second consecutive season, the unsung Viking has been recognized by the NFL’s All Pro voters. Coming off of the 2022 season, DePaola made it onto the first team. Fast forward a year and he’s on the second team. He’s the Minnesota Vikings’ lone representative within the NFL’s All Pro team.
Unsung Viking Snags AP2 Spot
Minnesota’s social media was sure to promote what their special teams star accomplished. Take a look at the word: “DePo! @andrewdepaola has been named 2nd-Team All-Pro.”
Quiet consistency. That’s basically the primary goal for a long snapper. Putting the ball directly into the punter’s hands — whether on a punt or on a field goal attempt — is what Matt Daniels is looking to see.
And then there are the rare moments when Kevin O’Connell decides to get creative. Think back to Ty Chandler in Week 5 when the Kansas City Chiefs were visiting. Yes, the running back deserves credit, but the opening moments of that play are crucial. If DePaola doesn’t put the ball in the right spot, the play is over just as it’s beginning.
At 36, Andrew DePaola is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he’s still operating at a high level. He added on 3 tackles during this past season. To go alongside his All Pro nominations over these past couple seasons, DePaola has been a Pro Bowl selection. So, some excellent accolades for him in recent years.
He’s going to be entering Year 2 of the contract he signed with the Vikings last offseason, a 3-year pact for a total of $4.025 million.
Meanwhile, many of Minnesota’s main men didn’t get recognized.
T.J. Hockenson not getting named at tight end is a controversial decision. True, the end-of-season ACL/MCL tear made his overall stat output more modest, but he had a strong case to be included. The voters instead decided for George Kittle and then Sam LaPorta.
Both Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson could have made the team if injury didn’t undermine their seasons, but the voters couldn’t justify including them when so much time was missed and when there’s so much talent at those spots.
With 16.5 sacks, 23 tackles for a loss, and 4 forced fumbles, Danielle Hunter was a strong contender for the second team, but that didn’t materialize. The decision makers opted for Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt on the first team. The second team featured Micah Parsons and Maxx Crosby.
The 2023 season has been a tremendously difficult one for those who call Minnesota home. No shortage of turmoil impacted the Vikings’ capacity to compete, eventually dooming their chance at the postseason. The plan will be to get the star players back to full health as Minnesota makes the postseason next year.
And, perhaps, even sees a few more players get onto the All Pro team.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference 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.