Vikings Reach Contract Agreement with Young TE
Josh Frey
|
The Minnesota Vikings have been in the process of preparing their roster for free agency over the past couple weeks.
They re-signed Theo Jackson as the first free agent to come back to the team, and then, they opted to cut Alexander Mattison about a week later to free up cap space. Nick Muse appears to be next on the list as the Vikings have opted to re-sign the young tight end this week.
Vikings Re-Sign Nick Muse
The team announced their decision via social media on Tuesday, tweeting, “The #Vikings have re-signed TE Nick Muse.”
Muse was selected by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first spring as Minnesota’s general manager. This selection came after Muse split his collegiate years between William & Mary and the University of South Carolina.
Muse played two seasons for William & Mary at the FCS level. After catching just four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season, the tight end burst onto the scene in 2018 with 30 receptions for 453 yards and a touchdown over seven games.
Muse then transferred to South Carolina ahead of the 2019 season and proceeded to continue his productive ways as a pass catcher. Over his three seasons with the Gamecocks, the tight end put together 67 receptions for 805 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in 31 games.
This evidently was enough for Muse to garner the 227th overall draft selection by the Vikings in 2022, but he did not make the final roster during his rookie season. Instead, he began his NFL career on Minnesota’s practice squad. However, Muse was signed to the active roster in November and appeared in a total of 10 games during his rookie season, exclusively playing with the special teams.
Muse did make the active roster in 2023, though, landing a spot on the depth chart behind T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, and Johnny Mundt. He would only appear in two games, though, and he appeared in just 31 snaps between the offense and special teams.
He made the most of his two snaps with the offense, though, recording his first career NFL reception by hauling in a 22-yard pass in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions.
Now, with Hockenson likely to be sidelined for a chunk of the 2024 season, Muse has the opportunity to seize a larger role with the team immediately.
Muse will turn 26 years old in November.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
The Harrison Smith Cut Decision is Going to Arrive this Week … Probably
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.