Beloved Viking Bids Farewell Again
He announced his departure earlier this offseason, and shortly thereafter, the Minnesota Vikings said goodbye. Now, he once again used social media to formally say goodbye to Skol Nation.
Former Vikings special-teams player NaJee Thompson is officially gone.
A couple of days before the draft, NaJee Thompson said his Vikings journey was over, and he was axed a day later. The team announced it as a waived/failed physical move.
About six weeks later, his latest post on Instagram said: “It’s surreal. Thank you all for making the first part of my dream something. I’ll never forget and very grateful to have the opportunity here. But so long, Minnesota. Officially outta here and to the cold weather you will be the only thing not missed but on to new beginnings.”
Thompson was an undrafted rookie in 2023 and starred on special teams in his debut season.
“Once again thank you to one of the best fan bases you can ask for and to everyone I’ve met along the way was a pleasure. Looking forward to this new journey,” Thompson concluded.
A cornerback on paper, Thompson’s value was clearly on special teams, where he immediately was one of the premier gunners in the game. Sadly, he couldn’t build on that as a knee injury cost him his entire 2024 campaign and he spent the year on Minnesota’s IR.
That knee injury was suffered initially in his rookie season, making his contributions even more impressive. He played the second half of the season despite the injury. Last offseason, the decision was made to rehab the issue without surgery, but it did not improve. Ultimately, surgery was performed after all.
The undrafted player signed as a cornerback, but few believed he had a chance to make the team, especially since he infrequently played on defense at Georgia Southern. He began his college career in 2018 as a wide receiver before transitioning to the defensive side of the ball in 2021.
In his rookie season, the player participated in only one defensive play and contributed 195 snaps on special teams across 15 games. His defensive position is largely a formality. Nevertheless, his capacity to influence the game on special teams is exceptional and almost unmatched.
He can light up a punt returner like few others, and that starts with a mindset to treat special teams as his main mission rather than a side job. Most other players want to use special teams to qualify for bigger roles on defense or offense. Thompson is different.
During training camp in 2023, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels described his then-new ace, “I’ve been watching this player for quite some time now and he lives and breathes special teams, that’s who he is at the core, and for him to finally be able to carry it over from what I saw on tape from the collegiate level to putting it on display on Thursday night only solidifies who he is as a person – the bright lights aren’t too big for him.”
In his 2023 season, Thompson recorded seven tackles and made an exceptional play during Minnesota’s poor performance against the Packers.
There’s always a demand for special teams players, and it’s not hard to see him get some looks once he’s fully cleared for practice.
The Vikings, meanwhile, signed some players who might take his role. One of them is cornerback Tavierre Thomas, and the other is wide receiver Tim Jones.
Thompson will turn 25 next month.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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