Andrew Van Ginkel Snatched Another Soul
Last offseason, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gambled when he allowed Danielle Hunter to walk in free agency. He then replaced his star pass-rusher with Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, two promising but unproven defenders. The hope was to have two (or three with Dallas Turner) productive rushers rather than just the one focal point.
Andrew Van Ginkel Did His Thing
He clearly won that bet, as both Van Ginkel and Greenard were exceptional in their inaugural season with the purple team. Not only did they meet at the quarterback position various times, but they also met at the Pro Bowl.
Van Ginkel’s signature move was quickly established when he picked off Daniel Jones in Week 1 and returned the ball for six points. Folks who speak the language of football would call that procedure a pick-six.
Van Ginkel previously logged one interception return touchdown in 2023. His third one, however, came just a few weeks after the one against the Giants, when the Vikings faced the other New York team. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets were his next victims. This time, his return went a long way.
The remainder of the season, Van Ginkel had some almost-picks he couldn’t quite haul in. But he didn’t only grab a pair of passes; he also had 11.5 sacks, 79 tackles, and 18 tackles for loss. The two-year, $20 million contract was such a steal that the Vikings, this offseason, felt compelled to add another year and pay him $23 million more.
Of course, it remains to be seen if he can replicate such a special season, but the early reports are positive. He pulled out his signature move at the first practice of training camp. After already surprising Jones and Rodgers, this time, he snatched the ball off Brett Rypien.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis posted on X, “Andrew Van Ginkel just did the pick six thing on the line of scrimmage on the first day. Come on. Brett Rypien tried what you cannot try on the cyborg.”
The video doesn’t exist, but the reporters did their best to describe the play.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted, “No video, but we just got an Andrew Van Ginkel special. He slid into the flat, intercepted a Brett Rypien pass and returned it for a TD.”
Craig Peters of Vikings.com wrote on the team website: “The outside linebacker who signed a contract extension this offseason quickly pounced on a receiver screen, secured the offering from backup QB Brett Rypien and took it the distance during a team period. The play was eerily similar to Van Ginkel’s Vikings debut, when he nabbed a short pass by Daniel Jones and trotted for a touchdown — his first of two pick sixes recorded in 2024.”
Van Ginkel is the perfect player for a mad-scientist defensive coordinator like Brian Flores. He can pretty much do every job imaginable, from dropping into coverage to rushing the passer, and he’s a ferocious defender against the run. A QB always has to account for him because Flores will utilize him all over the place.
In his top 100 video, former Dolphins teammate Terron Armstead said, “He’s like one of the most versatile players that we have in this league: You don’t understand how fast he is. He might be a 4.4, 4.5 guy. He’s another relentless player. He plays with his hair on fire, and he has a lot of it.”
Van Ginkel is under contract for two more seasons before scheduled to hit free agency in the 2027 offseason. He turned 30 this month and his first target in the regular season is Bears passer Caleb Williams, who should be familiar with Van Ginkel’s position at all times.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.